(October 12, 2025)
All those who were aboard the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) vessel Conscience and the Thousand Madleens to Gaza (TMTG) sailboats have now been released from Israel’s unlawful detention. Most have been expelled, and none remain in the custody of the Israeli occupation.
Israeli naval forces attacked a 9-boat convoy by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) heading to Gaza to break Israel’s illegal blockade on Wednesday and detained around 150 activists aboard.
“Some flotilla participants reported physical abuse, humiliation, and inhuman treatment during and after the interception, including being kicked, slapped, having their hair pulled, or being grabbed aggressively by soldiers,” Adalah Legal Center said in a statement.
“Some were forced into stressful positions, including being made to kneel for hours with their heads down and hands restrained behind their backs, or to sit on their knees for extended periods, in some cases while exposed to the sun.
“Some participants reported being mocked, insulted, and coerced into repeating degrading statements, including declarations of love for Israel or denigration of their own countries,” it added.
A European Parliament lawmaker voiced concern Thursday about the detention of a colleague, Melissa Camara, by Israel after the Freedom Flotilla Coalition was attacked.
„This is about our colleague, our very highly esteemed colleague, Melissa Camara. She was on the Freedom Flotilla, and she was detained by the Israeli authorities,“ said Greens/European Free Alliance co-chair Bas Eickhout ahead of a vote session in the plenary sitting in Strasbourg.
Eickhout noted that Camara may have been transferred to a maximum-security prison, though it has not yet been confirmed.
Tom Hayes, 69, whom OU confirmed is an associate professor at the university, was aboard the vessel „Conscience“ when it was intercepted by the Israeli navy at around 6 p.m. UTC time on Oct. 8, according to the Freedom Flotilla Tracker, an open-source tool that has been tracking vessels attempting to break the siege around war-torn Gaza.
The vessel was intercepted and taken to the Israeli city of Ashdod, according to the tracker. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a grassroots group that organized the humanitarian trip, said in a press release Oct. 8 that the Conscience was boarded by Israeli Defense Forces.
Jewish freelance journalist Emily Wilder, reporting for Jewish Currents, a progressive Jewish publication, was detained by the Israeli military on Monday while covering an aid flotilla bound for Gaza.
Wilder set sail from Italy last week aboard The Conscious, one of dozens of boats that aimed to reach Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave.
Also 18 Turkish citizens, detained aboard the ships of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, had been taken to Ketziot Detention Center in Israel, and Turkish Consulate officials were set to meet them face-to-face, they added.
The sources also emphasized that all necessary steps had been taken to ensure the Turkish citizens‘ return to their country as soon as possible, including the arrangement of a special flight.
The ‚Conscience‘ volunteers have likely been illegally abducted by Israel while in international waters on their way to open a sea corridor to Gaza. These are the volunteers from Germany.
The ‚Conscience‘ was sailing in accordance with international law, outside Israeli jurisdiction. We call on the German government and people to condemn this crime and to demand the immediate release of all abducted volunteers, as well as an end to Israel’s illegal blockade and ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Take action NOW :
• Tag, email, and call your Ministry of Foreign Affairs : +49 30 50000
X: @GermanyDiplo / @AuswaertigesAmt
Insta : @auswaertigesamt
• Join or organise a protest in your city
• Boycott Israeli products and companies
• Pressure your government to enforce an arms embargo and diplomatic sanctions on Israel
• Pressure institutions and your work place to divest from and sanction Israel
• Share this call widely on social media and with your network
The ‘Gaza Sunbirds’ crew were illegally intercepted and abducted by the Israel military.
We call on all our governments and people of conscience to condemn Israel‘s crimes, to demand the immediate release of all abducted crew, and to demand an end to Israel’s illegal blockade and ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Take action NOW:
• Tag, email, and call your Ministry of Foreign Affairs and elected officials
Join or organise a protest in your city
• Use the ‘RISEFOR’ campaign to pressure your government in 2 minutes
• Donate or join the next wave of flotilla (links in bio) – we will not stop until Palestine is free
• Share this call widely on social media and with your network
Oct 8, 2025 #BreakThe #ActNow #Conscience
We call on all our governments and people to condemn Israel’s crime of illegally intercepting our flotilla, and to demand the immediate release of all abducted crew. Our governments must end Israel’s illegal blockade and ongoing genocide of Gaza.
Take action NOW:
•Tag, email, and call your Ministry of Foreign Affairs and elected officials
• Join or organise a protest in your city
• Boycott Israeli products and companies
• Pressure your government to enforce an arms embargo and diplomatic sanctions on Israel
• Pressure institutions and your work place to divest from and sanction Israel
• Use the ‚RISEFOR‘ campaign (link in bio) to pressure your government in 2 minutes
• Donate or join the next wave of flotilla – we will not stop until Palestine is free. Share this call widely on social media and with your network
The ‘Abd Elkarim Eid’ crew were illegally intercepted and abducted by the Israel military.
We call on all our governments and people to condemn Israel‘s crimes, to demand the immediate release of all abducted crew, and to demand an end to Israel’s illegal blockade and ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Take action NOW:
• Tag, email, and call your Ministry of Foreign Affairs and elected officials
• Join or organise a protest in your city
• Use the ‘RISEFOR’ campaign to pressure your government in 2 minutes
• Donate or join the next wave of flotilla – we will not stop until Palestine is free
• Share this call widely on social media and with your network
#BreakTheSiege #ActNow #Conscience #GazaFreedomFlotilla #ThousandMadleensToGaza #FreePalestine
8 October 2025 – The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and Thousand Madleens to Gaza (TMTG) confirm that three boat : Gaza Sunbirds, Alaa Al-Najajr, Anas Al-Sharif, have been attacked and illegally intercepted by the Israeli military at 04:34 at 120 nautical miles (220km) from Gaza.
Sources so far indicate that the unarmed crew aboard, including doctors, journalists, and elected officials, have been abducted, as well as the vital aid worth over $110,000 USD in medicines, respiratory equipment, and nutritional supplies that were destined for Gaza’s starving hospitals. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
“Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard these ships,” David Heap, Canadian Boat to Gaza and Freedom Flotilla Coalition Steering Committee. “This seizure blatantly violates international law and defies the ICJ’s binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. Our volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalized for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade. Their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately.”
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) says the Israeli military attacked its convoy of boats and intercepted several vessels as they were sailing towards Gaza.
The FFC said the military had attacked The Conscience – a boat carrying 93 journalists, doctors and activists – before it attacked and intercepted three smaller boats on Wednesday.
Its passengers were “being held in unknown conditions”, it said.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on X that a raid on the flotilla had taken place.