European states must condemn attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla

Five humanitarian, environmental and human rights organisations denounce the latest illegal drone attacks which took place on the night of 23–24 September against the Global Sumud Flotilla, a peaceful initiative aimed at breaking Israel’s unlawful siege of the Gaza Strip.

Given the risks faced by the hundreds of peaceful activists and journalists on board, and in light of the catastrophic situation of the Palestinian people in Gaza, subjected to famine and deprived of medical care as a result of an illegal blockade, we call on third states, and European states in particular, to publicly condemn the attacks on the flotilla. They must also press the Israeli authorities to allow the safe passage of the flotilla and ensure the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

In the past two years, indiscriminate and systematic bombardments of Gaza have killed more than 65,000 people and destroyed or damaged 92% of its buildings. Israel’s siege, combined with restrictions placed on humanitarian organisations operating there, has compounded the suffering of Palestinians, driving famine and a collapse in healthcare. Since October 2023, at least 543 humanitarian workers have been killed, including 373 United Nations staff and associates.

Against this backdrop, the fifty vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, carrying humanitarian aid and several hundred participants from 45 countries, seek, through peaceful action, to mobilise the international community and to break Israel’s cruel and unlawful blockade, imposed on Gaza’s population for 18 years and intensified since October 2023.

After earlier attacks in Tunisia, activists and journalists on board reported explosions and multiple drone strikes during the night of 23–24 September as the flotilla sailed through international waters off the coast of Greece.

The Gaza flotillas are important expressions of citizen solidarity with Palestinians under siege, hunger and suffering. They help keep attention on the situation in Gaza, and they step into the void left by states through the continued inaction of the international community. Though modest, their delivery of aid is essential in the face of famine and the ongoing genocide.

To attack these ships is unacceptable. This coalition of humanitarian civil society organisations acts in full compliance with international law: humanitarian operations and journalistic coverage during armed conflicts are explicitly protected under international humanitarian law.

These attacks come just as a United Nations Commission of Inquiry has concluded that Israel is committing the crime of genocide in Gaza, echoing findings in recent months by several international human rights organisations (Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, FIDH), Israeli groups (B’Tselem, Physicians for Human Rights), and Palestinian organisations (Al Haq, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, and others).

Nothing can justify blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza when the population is starving and living in catastrophic conditions caused by genocide. States must increase pressure on Israel to guarantee the safe passage of the flotilla, and must act to ensure the immediate lifting of Israel’s unlawful blockade on Gaza, allowing for the unhindered entry and distribution of humanitarian assistance and vital supplies.

• Doctors of the World (Médecins du Monde International Network)
• Amnesty International France
• Reporter Sans Frontières
• Greenpeace France
• Médecins Sans Frontières Pays-Bas