462 abducted at sea, Flotilla lawyers report “degrading treatment”
JVL Introduction
Israel’s piratical assault on the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza has been wiped off the UK front pages by the horrendous antisemitic attack on Jews in Manchester (see statements on this deadly event from JVL and the Jewish Bloc).
But the treatment of almost 500 unarmed civilians – including medics, lawyers, elected officials, and activists from 44 countries – kidnapped by Israeli forces on October 1 remains a major concern. We publish below a petition begun by Robert White, father of one of the 13 UK citizens captured, calling on Keir Starmer to demand Israel immediately release those illegally detained in contravention of international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Of 462 abducted flotilla passengers, 331 have been located, 4 deported, and 127 remain unconfirmed. All known detainees are held in Ktzi’ot prison, with reports of degrading treatment.
This article was originally published by 38 degrees on Fri 3 Oct 2025. Read the original here.
Free UK Citizens Illegally Detained While Delivering Aid to Gaza
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Evidence is already trickling out about Israel’s mistreatment of the Sumud Flotilla humanitarians (people who have only had the misfortune to be their victims because Israel broke a whole series of important international laws to attack and kidnap them).
Members of the Sumud Flotilla have been deprived of food, water and medication. They’ve been blocked from seeing their consular staff and their lawyers. They’ve been physically mistreated – eg being hit, tasered, dragged by the hair and kept with their hands tied, in uncomfortable positions on hard surfaced floors for 5 hours at a time. Greta – for one – has been kept in a cell she says is infested with bed bugs. Israel’s mistreatment of the Sumud aid-givers reminds everyone how much worse are its abuses of its Palestinian victims.
Leaving aside considerations of morality and legality – par for the course sadly – the Israeli government’s sheer STUPIDITY in mistreating these detainees is mind-boggling.
If Israel had wanted to worsen its relationships with the 45 nations whose nationals it has harmed, it couldn’t have done so more swiftly or easily. A number of these nations (eg USA and Italy) used to be Israel’s unquestioning allies, now their leaders face growing pressure from their publics to dump the relationship.
A number of the Sumud individuals are MPs, EU Commission members, former national leaders, senior lawyers and people known and respected throughout the world. If Israel had wanted more bad press, more opposition amongst governments and legal bodies it’s gone the right way to get it.
I wrote to Barry Gardiner on behalf of Aaron White (whom I believe has now been released). Because I wasn’t a constituent my email was returned. I phoned his office and was told that I had to email. Fortunately for Aaron enough people have got through to Gardiner, spearheaded by his Dad. But this is not good enough. Does anyone have a list of the names of the British still detained illegally? Or a list of all the Flotilla humanitarians still detained illegally? We need names to write letters!
It’s disgraceful how none of the ‘establishment’ media have properly covered the abduction of the Global Sumud Flotilla activists. My elderly mother who listens to BBC’s Today, and BBC’s News on TV asked ‘did they arrest some people on a ship near Gaza?’! I am in despair. These heroic humanitarians risk their lives, subject themselves to torture and degradation, for the suffering people of Gaza and nobody knows about them! What a breath of fresh air to discover this blog from JVL. Thank you. I have now signed up to your newsletter although I left Labour as soon as Keir Starmer got in. I guessed he had behaved disgracefully to smear Corbyn. It was a guess. I was proved right.