137 Humanitarian Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla Freed

The activists detained by Israel were released and expelled to Turkey thanks to the work of international lawyers and pressure from seve al governments. 

A plane chartered by Turkey landed in Istanbul on Saturday, October 4th, carrying 137 activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF). They were freed after being illegally detained in international waters by the Israeli army on October 1st. Among those released were ten activists from the Swiss delegation. In the meantime, dozens of activists of various nationalities – including 22 Swiss activists – remain detained in the Israeli prison Ktzi'ot, in the Negev desert. 

The release was achieved through intense international pressure, negotiations by several states, and the tireless work of lawyers from the Palestinian NGO Adalah in Israel, international lawyers, and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in Geneva. The 137 freed individuals, who are citizens of 12 countries including the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia, and Jordan, include ten members of the Swiss delegation. 

According to reports and testimonies, the activists are subjected to unjust and inhumane treatment, being forced to remain on their knees and deprived of basic needs such as sleep, water, access to toilets, food, or their medication. One of the most shocking testimonies came from released journalist Ersin Celik, who denounced the specific torture of activist Greta Thunberg: "They dragged little Greta by her hair in front of us, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, to serve as a warning to the others." 

While this group has regained its freedom, uncertainty looms for the dozens of activists who remain imprisoned, including 22 members of the Swiss delegation. 

Meanwhile, the fragile truce in Gaza is showing cracks. Mere hours after US President Donald Trump demanded that Israel "stop the bombings," the Israeli army reaffirmed that Gaza City and the northern Strip remain a "dangerous combat zone." In a statement, it once again urged Palestinians to move south, even as southern Gaza is already overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of displaced people. Israeli airstrikes persisted this Saturday, claiming at least 46 Palestinian lives since dawn. 

Thanks to the international flotilla movement, the world's eyes are on the humanitarian crisis in Palestine, revealing the genocide committed by Israel. This global attention also highlights a flagrant contradiction: Israel is not respecting either the truce or the peace agreements,  and the activists still imprisoned, like the Gazan population, continue to suffer the ravages of a conflict that ignores diplomatic initiatives. 

List of the Swiss delegation: 

Released: Marc Formosa, Lionel Simonin, Fabrizio Ceppi, Romain Mouron, Immanuel De Souza, Sébastien Dubugnon, Tabea Zaugg, Steve Mercier, Vanni Bianconi, Roberto Ventrella. 

Still Detained: Thomas Guenole, Sarka Prikrylova, Jules Jassef, Remy Pagani, Jeremy Chevalley, Elise Gressot, Justine Kempf, François Piquemal, Khaled Benboutrif, Shadi Ammane, Rahim Mercan, Mehmet Türkkan, Stéphane Amiguet, Pascal André, Clément Froidevaux, Samuel Crettenand, Mahé Oliva-Sery de Mezières, Timothée Crettenand, Carolyn Shelver, Laura Velez Ruiz Gaitán, Cédric Caubere.