Over 80 lawmakers from Türkiye and several European countries issued a joint appeal Tuesday, demanding the immediate release of activists unlawfully held by Israel following the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla – a humanitarian convoy that sought to deliver food and medical aid to Gaza, as well as guarantees of medical care, legal counsel and consular access.
"The Global Sumud Flotilla did not carry weapons – it carried hope,” the statement, signed by, members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Parliament said, describing the flotilla as a peaceful humanitarian convoy of volunteers, journalists, lawmakers and aid workers en route to Gaza when it was intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters on Oct. 1.
The lawmakers condemned the "unlawful assault and abduction of civilians at sea,” urging the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and all governments to ensure the detainees’ immediate release and to launch an independent international investigation into the incident.
Among the signatories are Members of European Parliament, Members of Parliament from Türkiye and several European countries, who are represented in Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly.
Israeli forces seized 42 unarmed vessels belonging to the Global Sumud Flotilla and detained more than 450 activists, many of whom were later transferred to Ketziot Prison in southern Israel. Deportations have since taken place — including more than 137 activists to Türkiye and others to Greece and Slovakia — but several detainees reportedly remain in custody without clear information about their legal status.
Released detainees described conditions of inadequate food and water, denial of essential medicines, humiliation, and lack of legal or consular access. Such treatment, the statement said, "constitutes a breach of international humanitarian law and the rights of detainees.”
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), have condemned the arrests, urging Israel to immediately and unconditionally free all volunteers and journalists. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and several U.N. Special Procedures have also demanded an independent investigation into the incident.
"The Global Sumud Flotilla symbolized the moral courage of ordinary citizens acting where governments have failed,” the joint statement concluded. "To detain, humiliate or prosecute these individuals is to criminalize compassion.”
After nearly two years of relentless bombardment, Israel’s genocidal war has devastated the Gaza Strip, with international and local organizations reporting mass casualties, widespread destruction, famine, and a collapse of basic infrastructure.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the Israeli army has killed at least 67,160 people and injured 169,679 others since October 2023.
With a current population of about 2.1 million, more than 10% of Gaza’s residents have been killed or wounded.
Gaza's government media office reported that the number of deaths and missing individuals has reached over 76,600.
Civilians have borne the brunt of the violence. The U.N. Human Rights Office reported that over six months, from November 2023 to April 2024, nearly 70% of verified victims were women and children.
Since a cease-fire broke down in March, the indiscriminate attacks appear to have intensified. Fifteen out of every 16 Palestinians killed by the army were civilians since then, said the independent global violence monitor Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED).