UN experts on Friday called for the immediate release of activists detained after Israeli forces intercepted a humanitarian flotilla carrying aid to Gaza in international waters in late April, Anadolu Agency reports. In a statement, the experts said they were “seriously concerned” by the seizure of 22 civilian boats and the detention of 180 people about 500 nautical miles off Israel’s coast on April 29. “The attack against a civilian flotilla engaged in a peaceful and strictly humanitarian mission to deliver life-saving goods to the Palestinian people is further evidence that Israel is determined to continue its genocidal policy of suffocating the population of Gaza by any means necessary,” the experts said. They described the interception as “a blatant violation […]
This article was sourced from Middle East Monitor.
Read Full Article on Middle East Monitor →![Global Sumud Flotilla activists, Brazilian Thiago de Avila (C) and Spanish activist of Palestinian origin Saif Abukeshek (not seen), who detained by the Israeli army in international waters off the coast of Crete on the night of April 29, attend their trial in Ashkelon, Israel on May 05, 2026. [Stringer - Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/AA-20260505-41296323-41296322-ISRAELI_COURT_EXTENDS_DETENTION_OF_2_GAZA_FLOTILLA_VOLUNTEERS_BY_6_DAYS.jpg)
