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gaza freedom flotilla
Israel Can Only Deter the Global Sumud Flotilla by Stopping Its Genocide in Gaza
Threats of mistreatment from one of the architects of Israeli genocide will not deter those who are fed up with the Israeli murder of Palestinians and the physical destruction of Gaza.
Sep 03, 2025
As many boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla with hundreds of participants from around the world get set to depart from Barcelona and Tunis and a third wave of ships prepares for a late September departure to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza and the genocide of Palestinians, the headline in the September 1, 2025 Jerusalem Post reads, “Ben-Gvir Plans to Designate Global Sumud Flotilla activists as terrorists, seize boats.”
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir goes on to say that “activists will be held in prisons for terrorists and will be denied special privileges such as television, radio, and specialized food.”
Well, having been twice (2010 and 2016) in Israeli prison for being on boats challenging the illegal Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, I am sure Ben-Gvir has never been in his own prisons.
Those of us who have been in Israeli prison know that we have never been in cells that have TV or radio. And the foods are definitely not “speciality.” Pieces of bread, a tomato, a piece of cucumber, and perhaps a glass of tea are all I have had while in Israeli prison, which was fine with me as we know that Palestinian prisoners in the same prison may not be given even those “luxuries.”
Our latest flotilla participants on the Madleen and Handala report very dirty cells with two persons getting the skin disease scabies while in prison. Both women and men have been put in solitary confinement.
What prison conditions are like will not be a deterrent to those on boats who are challenging the Israeli genocide of Gaza.
Threats of mistreatment from one of the architects of Israeli genocide will not deter those who are fed up with the Israeli murder of Palestinians and the physical destruction of Gaza and are willing to risk their lives to bring further attention to the horrific genocide of Palestinians and the starvation of children, the elderly, and all the Palestinians in Gaza.
The only thing that will deter the flotillas will be Israel permanently stopping the bombing and destruction of Gaza and allowing food and medicines into Gaza and distribution by well-established organizations that have professional distribution systems so all in Gaza will have access to food and medicines.
The flotillas will continue to sail until the Israeli destruction of Gaza and Palestinians ends.
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Chris Smalls Is Coming Home; Will This Shake the US Labor Movement Into Action on Gaza?
Despite Smalls' high-profile success at Amazon, the majority of American unions ignored his beating by the IDF.
Jul 31, 2025
Early Thursday morning, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced that Amazon Labor Union founder Chris Smalls had been released from Israeli prison.
According to the group, Smalls is currently on his way to the Allenby Bridge border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan. From Jordan, he is expected to fly to JFK.
Labor Party USA, an organization founded by Smalls, confirmed on Instagram that they were planning a welcoming party for him at KFK Airport on Friday morning.
Smalls' detention and arrest caused international outrage.
With Smalls returning to the United States, it will be interesting to see whether he speaks publicly about his beating at the hands of the IDF, which will draw more attention to the plight of Palestinians within the labor movement.
On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) boarded the Handala, a ship associated with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, that was attempting to reach Gaza with supplies for starving Palestinians. The IDF detained 21 activists, who had their hands held up, in graphic images that the Freedom Flotilla Coalition captured.
On Monday, details emerged that not only was Smalls detained, but he was physically beaten by the IDF. He was the only Black member of the Freedom Flotilla on the Handala.
"The Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirms that upon arrival in Israeli custody, U.S. human rights defender, Christian Smalls, was physically assaulted by seven uniformed individuals," wrote the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on Instagram. "They choked him and kicked him in the legs, leaving visible signs of violence on his neck and back."
Still, despite Smalls having been profiled by every major media outlet in the U.S. when he successfully led the union drive at Amazon, not a single major media outlet has covered his violent detention by the IDF five days ago.
Even worse, the majority of American unions ignored his beating by the IDF.
Teamsters President Sean O'Brien, whose union the Amazon Labor Union is affiliated with, has yet to denounce his detention. Instead, O'Brien, who famously spoke in praise of Trump at the Republican National Convention last summer, took to social media Tuesday to promote an interview with Tucker Carlson.
Association of Flight Attendants president Sara Nelson did denounce the IDF's beating of Smalls.
"If this is how the IDF treats American citizens traveling with media attention, it brings even more credibility to the reports of their abuses of Palestinian civilians," Nelson wrote on Bluesky late Wednesday. "I stand in solidarity w/ my brother Chris, the civilians in Gaza and all working towards peace and dignity for all. End this horror."
While most American unions stayed silent, the 750,000 member Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the largest union in Canada, did denounce the IDF's treatment of Smalls.
"CUPE stands in solidarity with U.S. labour leader Chris Smalls and all the activists unlawfully detained by Israel while on board the Freedom Flotilla Handala, delivering aid to Gaza," CUPE wrote on Bluesky late Wednesday. "We condemn this brutality and call for their immediate release."
With Smalls returning to the United States, it will be interesting to see whether he speaks publicly about his beating at the hands of the IDF, which will draw more attention to the plight of Palestinians within the labor movement.
The Amazon Labor Union called on the rest of the labor movement to mobilize to denounce the detention of Amazon Labor Union founder Chris Smalls.
"We honor the call from Palestinian labor unions to disrupt the arms trade and support global workers' actions such as strikes, direct protests, and other efforts," the Amazon Labor Union said in a statement.
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Israeli Navy Seizes Second Gaza-Bound Freedom Flotilla Vessel in 2 Months
"The interception occurred in international waters outside Palestinian territorial waters off Gaza, in violation of international maritime law," the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said.
Jul 26, 2025
The Israeli military intercepted and seized the Gaza Freedom Flotilla vessel The Handala late Saturday night local time as it attempted to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to the besieged people of Gaza.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition reported that Israeli forces cut the cameras on board the ship at 11:43 pm local time, when it was around 40 nautical miles from Gaza.
"The unarmed boat was carrying lifesaving supplies when it was boarded by Israeli forces, its passengers abducted, and its cargo seized," the coalition wrote. "The interception occurred in international waters outside Palestinian territorial waters off Gaza, in violation of international maritime law."
Israel's Foreign Ministry confirmed that its navy had intercepted the ship, as Al Jazeera reported.
"The vessel is safely making its way to the shores of Israel," the ministry said in a statement. "All passengers are safe."
"Our vessel does not constitute any threat to you. We carry only humanitarian aid, and therefore, you have no authority to intercept or otherwise attack our vessel."
The Handala set sail for Gaza on July 20 from Gallipoli, Italy. It is the second attempt by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to break the siege on Gaza in under two months. An earlier attempt in June was also intercepted by the Israeli military and its crew members arrested and deported.
There are 21 crew members onboard The Handala from 12 countries: 19 human rights defenders and two journalists. The crew includes seven U.S. citizens, among them labor leader Christian Smalls.
The crew had promised to begin a hunger strike as soon as they were intercepted by the Israeli military.
"In captivity they can give their sandwiches and water to the starving people of Gaza," Smalls wrote on social media.
Another U.S. crew member, the Palestinian-American lawyer and activist Huwaida Arraf, rebuked the Israeli Navy as they boarded the ship, according to a video obtained by Al Jazeera:
"Let me give you a lesson in international law," Arraf said, adding:
Any blockade that deliberately starves a civilian population is a violation of international law. It is not only that—it is a war crime. You have no legal authority to enforce an unlawful blockade. And as such, you have no authority to use force to enforce an unlawful blockade.
Therefore, we demand that you stand down. You are responsible for the well-being of every civilian on board this vessel. As an occupying power in Gaza, you are responsible for the health and well-being of the civilian population there.
Not only have you disregarded that obligation, but you are actively exterminating the people. You have engineered a famine. You are deliberately starving civilians and children before the eyes of the world.
Our vessel does not constitute any threat to you. We carry only humanitarian aid, and therefore, you have no authority to intercept or otherwise attack our vessel. We demand again that you stand down.
The Handala's interception came at the close of a day that saw 71 people killed in Gaza due to Israeli attacks and five perish from hunger. This brings the total number of deaths from starvation in Gaza to over 127, among them more than 85 children. After 658 days of a U.S.-backed Israeli siege, at least 244,000 Palestinians in Gaza are now in the most dangerous Stage 5 of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification to measure famine. One five-month-old child who died on Friday due to lack of baby formula weighed less at death than she did at birth, as The Associated Press reported. A growing number of human rights experts and advocates have characterized Israel's war and siege on Gaza as a genocide.
The ship was carrying diapers, baby formula, food, and medicine.
According to the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Saturday's interception was the "third violent act by Israeli forces against Freedom Flotilla missions this year alone."
"It follows the drone bombing of the civilian aid ship Conscience in European waters in May, which injured four people and disabled the vessel, and the illegal seizure of The Madleen in June, where Israeli forces abducted 12 civilians, including a member of the European Parliament," the group wrote.
Ann Wright, a member of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition steering committee, called on the governments of the 21 crew members to advocate for their citizens.
"Protect innocent international people who are merely accompanying a small amount of aid—medical and food—as a symbol of the international outrage at what Israel is doing," she told Al Jazeera.
This article has been corrected to state that 244,000 Palestinians in Gaza were in Phase 5 of starvation in May 2025. A previous version incorrectly stated that 85% of the population was in Phase 5.
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