ARTICLE 19 expresses grave concern for the safety of journalists and activists on board the Global Sumud Flotilla, a coordinated fleet of ships attempting to reach Gaza to deliver aid in the face of Israel’s blockade. We call for their immediate release and reiterate that under international humanitarian law, civilians – including journalists – must be protected and never targeted.
Before being intercepted, the Samud Flotilla carried over 500 activists and journalists from 44 countries who sought to deliver urgently-needed humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. By the morning of Thursday, 2 October, Israeli forces had reportedly boarded 40 of the flotilla’s 47 vessels, jamming communications and detaining hundreds of civilians on board.
In the two years since Hamas’ massacre of more than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, Israel’s onslaught has seen over 70,000 Palestinians killed. Israel has reinforced its blockade on Gaza, severely limiting civilian access to food, water, medicine, and essential supplies, resulting in a famine in Gaza. Recent figures show that several hundred people, many of them children, have already died from malnutrition.
As the assault on the Gaza strip continues, ARTICLE 19 has consistently stressed the need for journalists to have access. Their role in expressing and promoting freedom of expression is essential during times of conflict to ensure accurate monitoring and reporting from the ground, to provide for continued documentation of severe human rights violations, and to amplify the voices of Palestinians amidst Israel’s ongoing assault.
In Gaza itself, the Israel Defense Forces have systematically targeted journalists, and the number of those killed has reached unprecedented levels, with total impunity for Israel. International media remain unable to access Gaza as Israeli authorities continue to refuse to grant journalists outside of Gaza access to the occupied Palestinian territory. This results in further silencing reporting and preventing accountability efforts. The work of journalists and civil society activists attempting to mitigate and document atrocities is more crucial now than ever.
The interception of the flotilla in international waters is part of a broader pattern by Israel to target freedom of expression and Palestinian solidarity, ongoing since the beginning of the war on Gaza. The interception is also illegal under international maritime law, given that members of the flotilla were in international waters when intercepted.
ARTICLE 19 therefore:
- Reiterates its call on the international community to take urgent measures to protect journalists covering the Global Sumud Flotilla, as well as the activists participating in it.
- Urges individual governments to immediately take action to protect their citizens involved in this human rights and humanitarian support effort.
- Calls on the State of Israel to release all those detained on board the flotilla, to allow the safe delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and to end its assault on the occupied territory.
- Calls on the State of Israel to allow international media access to Gaza.
- Calls on the governments of the States to which the participants in the flotilla are citizens to take active measures to secure the safety of the activists and journalists on board.