The photographer Shahidul Alam was this morning detained by Israeli forces while on board an aid flotilla headed for Gaza. The fleet, made up of nine boats and 144 people, was in international waters off the coast of Gaza when it was boarded, according to The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC).
At about 6am Israeli time a live video shared via Alam’s Facebook account showed the Conscience, the largest vessel in the Thousand Madleens flotilla, surrounded by Israeli ships and a military helicopter. Passengers were seen wearing life jackets on the ship’s upper deck, while organisers issued instructions to wait in place. Alam has since been out of contact.
The photographer had been travelling as part of a convoy of medics and media professionals to “challenge the legality of the siege” imposed on Gaza by Israel, as well as to deliver aid. Speaking to The Art Newspaper last week, Alam called the journey “a strong demonstration of solidarity” with artists and journalists in Gaza, whom Israel has “disproportionately targeted”.
The FFC said in a statement: “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 in medicines, respiratory equipment, and nutritional supplies that were destined for Gaza’s starving hospitals. Their whereabouts remain unknown.”
Appearing to reference Alam and the others on board the Thousand Madleens flotilla, Israel’s Foreign Ministry wrote on X this morning: “Another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone ended in nothing. The vessels and the passengers are transferred to an Israeli port. All the passengers are safe and in good health. The passengers are expected to be deported promptly.”
The Adalah Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, based in Haifa, has written to Israeli authorities demanding “immediate access” to Alam and other passengers, while challenging “the unlawful detention and the confiscation of ships and aid”.
Alam’s partner, the writer and activist Rahnuma Ahmed, said in a statement: “No one in Conscience was armed, they were only media and medics and crew carrying messages of love and solidarity for the suffering Palestinians.”
The environmental activist Greta Thunberg, travelling in the same convoy of flotilla, was deported on Monday after being captured by Israeli forces last week. She reported “mistreatment and abuses” in custody. While Spanish lawyer Rafael Borrego, who was captured along with her, alleged “repeated physical and mental abuse”. The Israeli foreign ministry has denied these claims, and stated that all detainees’ legal rights are fully upheld.
