280 flotilla activists face Israeli court hearings

The legal team supporting the Global Sumud Flotilla announced Saturday that as many as 280 participants held by Israeli forces completed initial procedures before Israel’s immigration court, Anadolu reports.

Israeli naval forces attacked and seized vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla on Thursday and detained more than 470 activists from over 50 countries. The flotilla had been attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade of the enclave.

In a statement, the team said, “the court sessions resumed on Saturday for 200 additional activists whose hearings were postponed.”

It added that “because Saturday is considered a weekend and a holy day in Israel, proceedings are proceeding slowly and are expected to continue Sunday.”

On Friday, seven judges handled the files, while only two judges are presiding on Saturday, the team said.

According to the legal team, 100 participants who signed a “fast-track deportation” document and refused to appear before an Israeli judge are expected to be deported on Saturday.

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Signing the document does not constitute recognition of Israeli legitimacy, and participants were free to choose whether or not to sign, the statement said.

It added that “when Israel’s interior minister visited Ashdod port and threatened the participants, they responded by raising banners calling for Palestinian freedom.”

Tunisian activist Mohab Al-Senoussi raised a hidden Palestinian flag during the incident, prompting Israeli police to assault him violently.

Despite this, the legal team said, his morale remains high, and he sent “greetings through his lawyer to the Tunisian people and all free peoples,” urging continued pressure for the release of all participants.

Israel has maintained the blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it all but uninhabitable.

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