Joint Press Release
Human rights organizations condemn "State Piracy" and hold the Israeli occupation responsible for the safety of "Freedom Fleet" activists
Paris, October 2, 2025
The undersigned organizations have followed with great condemnation and rejection the actions taken by the Israeli occupation forces on the evening of Tuesday, October 1, in intercepting and forcibly detaining civilian ships belonging to the "Freedom Fleet" in international waters. These ships were heading towards the Gaza Strip on a humanitarian mission aimed at breaking the siege, carrying approximately 500 activists from more than fifty countries.
This act represents a blatant assault on freedom of navigation and is classified, according to the provisions of international law, as an act that amounts to maritime piracy committed by an occupying authority, disregarding the fate of hundreds of activists.
This aggression constitutes a new link in the chain of collective punishment policies practiced by the occupation against any humanitarian initiative aimed at lifting the unjust siege on Gaza.
Position and Legal Condemnation:
The undersigned organizations strongly condemn this new crime. The detention of unarmed civilians in international waters represents a serious violation of the Geneva Conventions and a blatant infringement of human rights and international treaties, confirming Israel's disregard for international legitimacy.
Demands and Actions:
While we hold the occupying authorities fully and directly responsible for the safety and security of all passengers, and for any harm or enforced disappearance they may face, we demand the following:
Protection and Immediate Release: Ensure the safety of all participants in the fleet and the immediate and unconditional release of them and the detained ships.
Redirection: Allow the ships to complete their original course towards Gaza and deliver the humanitarian aid they carry.
International Accountability: Open an independent international investigation under the supervision or support of the International Criminal Court to document the act of piracy and violations of international humanitarian law and hold those responsible accountable.
Security Council Action: Urge the United Nations Security Council to convene urgently to discuss this crime that threatens international peace and security.
Diplomatic Intervention: Urgent intervention by the countries to which the activists belong to protect their nationals from the risk of torture or potential enforced disappearance.
The continued impunity has encouraged the occupation to repeat these dangerous acts, imposing on the international community the responsibility to fulfill its legal and moral obligations. Silence on this crime is complicity with a state piracy that places itself outside the framework of international law.
- Free Voice Organization for Human Rights.
- Al-Shehab Center for Human Rights, London.
- AFDI International, Brussels.
- SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties.
- Arab Observatory for Media Freedom
- Association of Victims of Torture, Geneva.
- Solidarity Organization for Human Rights
Human Rights Solidarity
- Justice for Human Rights Organization - Istanbul
Justice for Human Rights JHR
- Cedar for Legal and Human Rights Studies - Lebanon
- Tawasul for Human Rights - The Hague
- Al-Karama - Geneva
- Human Rights Monitor - London
- Egyptian Human Rights Council - Geneva
- Najda Foundation
- Moroccan Organization for Human Rights - Rabat
- SAM Organization for Rights and Liberties - Geneva
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