William Ton and Kat Wong
Families of Australians detained by Israeli forces while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza say they hold fears for their loved ones and are in the dark about their whereabouts.
The 11 Australians were among 426 people taking part in a 54-vessel flotilla from 39 countries aiming to challenge a naval blockade of Gaza and draw attention to Palestinians’ living conditions in the war-battered coastal territory.
Flotilla organisers said Israeli forces had intercepted 41 of their boats in international waters west of Cyprus early on Tuesday, with 10 still sailing towards the enclave.
Video live-streamed to the Global Sumud Flotilla’s website showed activists putting on life jackets and raising their hands as a boat carrying Israeli troops approached. When the troops boarded, the livestream abruptly ended. Other footage showed Israeli forces on speedboats approaching and instructing activists to move to the front of their boat.
The ships had set sail for a third time on Thursday from southern Turkey after earlier attempts to deliver aid to Gaza were intercepted by Israel in international waters. Israel’s foreign ministry had said on X on Monday that it “will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza”.
Australians Neve O’Connor, Sam Woripa Watson, Anny Mokotow, Isla Lamont, Juliet Lamont, Surya McEwen, Zack Schofield, Bianca Webb-Pullman, Gemma O’Toole, Violet Coco and Helen O’Sullivan were all confirmed to have been detained.
Their families said they had had no contact with the activists for more than 12 hours and did not know where they were.
“As a mother, it’s the not knowing what’s happening that is really terrifying,” O’Toole’s mother, Susie, said.
O’Connor’s father, Chris, said he was “afraid but also proud of Neve”.
“She is on an unarmed humanitarian mission to deliver life-saving aid,” Chris O’Connor said. “Her abduction 1200km from Gaza shows the lengths Israel will go to prevent food and medicine reaching Gaza’s starving people.”
Webb-Pullman’s mother, Julie, said her daughter had set off because she decided she didn’t want to live in a world where Israel was not held accountable for its actions.
“If she dies in that effort, then that is something she’s prepared to accept, and it’s something I also must accept,” she said.
Israel has maintained a sea blockade of Gaza since the Palestinian militant group Hamas took control of the territory in 2007, and it intensified that blockade in the aftermath of the October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel, during which some 1200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage.
Israel’s offensive launched in response has killed more than 72,700 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not give a breakdown between civilians and militants.
Flotilla organisers said the boats were intercepted 463 kilometres from the shores of Gaza. Unlike previous interceptions, which mostly took place under the cover of night, the Israeli military boarded the boats in daylight.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has labelled the flotilla a publicity stunt and a “provocation for the sake of provocation”, calling on all participants to immediately turn back.
The flotilla organisers said they expected the activists to be taken to the port of Ashdod, in southern Israel. Activists on previous flotillas were brought to the same port, where some were processed and immediately deported, while others were detained before they were deported.
The families have called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese publicly call for the detainees’ release and expel Israel’s ambassador, among other things.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is seeking confirmation of the intercepted Australians’ welfare and has urged others not to join the flotillas for their safety.
“We will continue to make clear our expectation that any detainees receive humane treatment in line with international norms,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
Four of the detained Australians were previously intercepted by Israel two weeks ago, while three others were imprisoned in October.
AAP, Reuters, AP
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