AhlulBayt News Agency: Dozens of international activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla have launched a collective hunger strike inside Israeli prisons, protesting what they describe as Israel’s “starvation policy” used as a weapon of war against Gaza.
The 42 confirmed hunger strikers, representing over a dozen countries, were arrested by Israeli forces between October 1 and 3 during the interception of their humanitarian aid boats.
The flotilla had set out to challenge the naval blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic shipment of humanitarian supplies.
In a statement, organizers of the Sumud Flotilla said the activists “refused to be fed by the same entity carrying out a genocidal starvation campaign against millions of Palestinians in Gaza.”
“In Gaza, starvation is not a tragedy—it’s a policy,” the statement declared, accusing Israel of cutting off food, water, electricity, and fuel since October 2023, while targeting farms, farmers, and aid convoys.
The statement emphasized that “non-violence is not passivity,” but rather “the courage to risk one’s body to confront injustice,” drawing parallels to the legacy of Palestinian hunger strikers like Khader Adnan.
Adnan, a Palestinian activist and prisoner, died after an 87-day hunger strike protesting his detention without trial. He had been arrested 12 times by Israeli authorities.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of over 50 vessels, departed from Barcelona late last month to deliver aid to Gaza and challenge what rights groups call one of the world’s harshest blockades.
Since Wednesday, the Israeli navy has intercepted the flotilla in international waters near Gaza, detaining approximately 500 activists from more than 40 countries.
Among those detained were prominent figures such as Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, and Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan.
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