Greta Thunberg and 11 other activists - including a French Member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan, and Omar Faiad, a journalist with Al Jazeera - were recently
illegally arrested and detained while trying to deliver aid to starving civilians in Gaza.
They were in international waters and breaking no laws. There were no weapons onboard. The aid that was confiscated included baby formula, medical supplies, and food.
Yet even now, 8 of these individuals remain imprisoned in Israeli custody and are awaiting trial. Thunberg and 2 others have been deported.
Sign the petition to demand that the international community - especially leaders in these activists' home countries of France, Spain, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, and Sweden - ensure the distribution of humanitarian aid!Right now, 2 million people in Gaza are at risk of starvation. Around 90% of the Gaza population has been displaced, often multiple times. Upwards of 55,000 people have been killed - primarily children, women, and elderly individuals, and sometimes even at official food distribution sites when trying to access meals.
For the past 11 weeks, they have been under a total siege, with Israeli military forces intensely restricting any food entering the embattled area. The Israeli government has blockaded the area since 2007. That's why Thunberg and her fellow activists joined together with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to
raise awareness about this deadly, illegal blockade. Last month, Israeli forces allegedly attacked another aid boat with drones - leading it to catch on fire. This time, they seized all aid items on board, illegally removed all individuals from the boat, and transported them into detention.
Delivering humanitarian aid is a moral act that is protected by international law. And it is against that law to block aid, or to seize and imprison people who distribute aid.
As Huwaida Arraf, a human rights attorney and an organizer with the Freedom Flotilla, has explained: "
This seizure blatantly violates international law and defies the [International Court of Justice's] binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza. These volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalised for delivering aid or challenging an illegal blockade - their detention is arbitrary, unlawful, and must end immediately."
Luckily, all 12 activists are safe for now - but the same cannot be said for 2 million Gazans.
Blocking the distribution of humanitarian aid, and arresting those involved, is illegal. Sign the petition to demand that the international community - especially the nations these 12 activists are from - speak out against this siege and demand the distribution of life-saving food and medical supplies! Help us to save lives!