The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) reported on Wednesday that American trade union activist Chris Smalls, who was on board the ship Handala, was attacked in an Israeli prison.
Handala aid ship activist abused upon arrival to Israeli prison
Upon arrival at the detention centre, he was attacked by seven men in uniform: he was choked and beaten, leaving marks on his neck and back. Smalls is the founder of the Amazon Labour Union (ALU) in New Jersey. The FFC noted that when he met with his lawyer, he was surrounded by six special forces officers, which, according to the coalition, indicates bias, as this was not the case with other detainees.
“We strongly condemn the use of violence and discrimination against Chris and demand that those responsible be held accountable,” the statement said.
The humanitarian ship Handala, owned by the coalition, was detained by the Israeli military on July 27 and towed to the port of Ashdod after attempting to break the blockade of Gaza. The Israeli army boarded the ship the night before in international waters, capturing 21 people — activists and journalists from Australia, France, the UK and the US.
Among those on board were MPs Gabrielle Goulart (France) and Emma Fourreau (European Parliament), journalist Tanya Safi and human rights activist Robert Martin (both from Australia). Israel has no legal basis for detaining foreign citizens in international waters, FFC representative Anne Wright emphasised.
Israeli forces disarmed the crew, disabled cameras and prevented those detained from contacting lawyers, the Adalah human rights centre reported. According to the centre, all those on board were peaceful civilians acting in accordance with international law.
Israeli attacks on humanitarian ships
The incident occurred amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, where hunger is on the rise due to the blockade: dozens of residents, including children, have died of starvation in the last week.
This is the second case of a coalition ship being intercepted in recent months. On June 9, the Israeli military detained the ship Madleen, which was also heading for Gaza. Among those detained at the time were Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and MEP Rima Hassan.
Earlier, in May 2024, an Israeli drone attacked another coalition ship, causing a fire on board. And in 2010, nine Turkish citizens were killed and dozens were injured during the storming of an aid flotilla bound for Gaza.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Unbowed (LFI), called on social media to draw attention to the kidnapping of the activists:
“The French government remains silent while two French parliamentarians are kidnapped in international waters, forcibly taken to a country they did not intend to visit, and imprisoned pending trial for “illegal entry” into that country… Netanyahu has every right: genocide, war crimes, murder of children, kidnapping. Courage and honour mean resisting him, as these two women and their colleagues are doing. They embody France, free in its words and actions.”
