ICSPR The Israeli Occupation’s Attack on the Sumud Flotilla Constitutes Repeated Maritime Piracy and a Flagrant Violation of the Law of the Sea and International Law

Date: April 30, 2025

Press Release

ICSPR: The Israeli Occupation’s Attack on the Sumud Flotilla Constitutes Repeated Maritime Piracy and a Flagrant Violation of the Law of the Sea and International Law

The International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (ICSPR) strongly condemns the act of maritime piracy committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the International Sumud Flotilla, which includes peace activists and human rights defenders from various countries around the world, in addition to humanitarian aid shipments, while it was sailing in international waters toward the Gaza Strip in an effort to break the blockade imposed on it.

Available reports indicate that Israeli warships began attacking the flotilla’s vessels late on Wednesday night, with Israeli media announcing the start of the seizure of several of the boats far from the coast, in what is described as one of the largest maritime interception operations of its kind. According to the reported information, seven vessels have so far been seized out of dozens of boats participating in the flotilla, while the Israeli assaults on the remaining vessels are still ongoing, at distances reaching hundreds of kilometers, specifically near the Greek island of Crete. The attack was reportedly preceded by interference and direct threats against the flotilla’s boats, in a clear attempt to obstruct its humanitarian mission and prevent it from reaching the Gaza Strip.

ICSPR considers this attack a grave and blatant violation of the rules of international humanitarian law, particularly the principles protecting civilians and humanitarian workers, and a clear breach of the law of the sea, which guarantees freedom of navigation in international waters. Accordingly, this crime amounts to a full-fledged war crime and requires international legal accountability.

Targeting the flotilla reflects the occupation’s determination to expand the scope of its crimes, not only against the Palestinian people, but also against international solidarity activists, by placing their lives at serious risk in an attempt to impose the reality of the blockade by force and prevent any humanitarian efforts aimed at breaking it.

In this context, ICSPR expresses its deep concern for the safety of the courageous activists aboard the flotilla’s vessels, who represent the living conscience of humanity and embody a moral stance rejecting the crimes of blockade, starvation, and genocide. ICSPR also commends their bravery in confronting these dangers amid repeated threats of arrest, assault, and the towing of their vessels to the port of Ashdod.

Accordingly, ICSPR emphasizes the following:

• The urgent and immediate provision of international protection for the activists and solidarity participants aboard the flotilla.

• Guaranteeing freedom of navigation and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip without restrictions or interception.

• Opening an independent and transparent international investigation into this act of maritime piracy and holding those responsible accountable.

• Activating international accountability mechanisms, including the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, to prosecute the perpetrators of these crimes.

• Requiring states to implement the measures issued by the International Court of Justice and to take concrete steps to halt grave violations.

• Serious action to open humanitarian land, sea, and air corridors for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

• Imposing international boycott measures and sanctions on the Israeli occupation state, and prosecuting its political and military leaders before international courts.

ICSPR calls on the international community, United Nations bodies, and free people around the world to act urgently to protect the activists, reveal their fate, and work toward their immediate release, in a manner that ensures respect for international law and puts an end to the ongoing crimes committed against the Palestinian people.