On Wednesday evening, 5 October 2016, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) took control of the all-female, Gaza-bound Al Zaytouna-Oliva flotilla ship. The flotilla aimed to break Israel’s illegal closure and naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The fleet comprised two ships, Zaitouna and Amal, and carried a group of women activists of different nationalities; only one of the boats set sail to Gaza. On Friday, 23 September 2016, the Zaytouna-Oliva departed from Messina, Italy, heading to the coast of the Gaza Strip to convey a humanitarian message that emphasized the need for peace in the area, and to express solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights (Al Mezan) praises the international efforts to end the Israeli closure/blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and appreciates the persistence of the activists in attempting to reach the Gaza Strip and break Israel’s naval blockade, which is a form of unlawful collective punishment and produces cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The activists have shed light on the protracted siege as it reaches its tenth anniversary.
Al Mezan strongly condemns Israel’s interception of Zaytouna-Oliva and forcible seizure of the sailboat. Israel’s previous handling of freedom flotilla activists raises serious concerns that the activists from Zaytouna-Oliva could be subjected to ill-treatment. Al Mezan holds the Israeli authorities responsible for the lives of the peace activists.
The closure and blockade, which Israeli has imposed on Gaza since 2007, has caused a humanitarian crisis and created serious violations of human rights law in the Gaza Strip. Al Mezan asserts that the siege amounts to a prohibited collective punishment according to the Fourth Geneva Convention, and has resulted in violations that fall within the remit of grave breaches of the Convention as well as the persecution of the civilian population in the coastal strip. The High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention should promptly intervene with effective steps to lift the closure/blockade.