ICSPR Organizes a Solidarity Stand in Deir al-Balah in Support of the “Fleet of Steadfastness” and Condemns the Israeli Act of Piracy in International Waters
Date: 5 Oct 2025
Press Release
ICSPR Organizes a Solidarity Stand in Deir al-Balah in Support of the “Fleet of Steadfastness” and Condemns the Israeli Act of Piracy in International Waters
The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) organized on Saturday morning a mass solidarity stand on the beach of Deir al-Balah City, in the central Gaza Strip, in support of the “Fleet of Steadfastness”, which was subjected to an Israeli attack in international waters during its solidarity voyage aimed at breaking the more than 18-year-long blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
Dozens of human rights defenders, activists, journalists, and children participated in the event, raising Palestinian flags and banners condemning the Israeli aggression and calling for the accountability of Israeli leaders for their crimes against international activists and journalists. Participants chanted slogans affirming the Palestinian people’s right to freedom and dignity, and the importance of continued international solidarity until the end of the blockade on Gaza.
During the stand, Ms. Rana Hdeib, Director of the Legal Department at ICSPR, delivered a press statement in which she strongly condemned what she described as an “act of maritime piracy” committed by Israeli occupation forces against the ships of the Fleet of Steadfastness. She explained that these forces besieged the ships, attacked them with live ammunition and wastewater, sank some of them, disrupted their communication systems, and then arrested the activists and journalists on board before forcibly towing the ships to the port of Ashdod in the occupied territories.
ICSPR’s statement affirmed that this assault constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and the law of the sea, describing it as a fully-fledged act of piracy and a state-organized act of terror intended to intimidate activists and suppress global solidarity with the Palestinian people.
The statement added that the continuation of Israel’s aggression against the Gaza Strip for nearly two years without any effective international intervention reflects the failure of the international system to protect civilians and encourages Israel to continue its systematic crimes against Palestinians and their international supporters.
ICSPR called for urgent popular and international action to confront this crime, including organizing protests in front of Israeli and U.S. embassies worldwide, expanding campaigns of pressure and boycott, and escalating toward global civil disobedience against the Israeli occupation.
The Commission also urged the International Criminal Court and relevant UN bodies to open an immediate and comprehensive investigation into the crime and to hold Israeli leaders accountable, stressing that the ongoing impunity granted to Israel only emboldens it to commit further crimes against humanity.
In conclusion, ICSPR stressed the need for serious efforts to ensure the immediate release of the detained activists and solidarity participants, and to provide them with legal and diplomatic protection, while also calling for the imposition of international sanctions on Israel to compel it to end its genocidal crimes, blockade, and starvation policies against the population of the Gaza Strip.
