Ramla: The Israeli court affiliated with the detention division in Ramla has issued a ruling to keep eight international activists, who were aboard the “Madeline” ship of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, in custody. This decision follows the rejection of legal appeals submitted by the legal team from Adalah, which includes lawyers Lubna Touma, Hadeel Abu Saleh, and volunteer lawyer Afnan Khalifa.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA, the eight activists in question are Suayb Ordu from Turkey, Mark van Rins from the Netherlands, Pascal Moreras, Riva Fiard, Rima Hassan, and Yanis Mohammadi from France, Tiago Ovila from Brazil, and Yasmin Ajar from Germany. Adalah emphasized in a statement that the law the court relied upon, regarding “illegal entry into Israel,” is not applicable to the activists’ situation. The activists did not intend to enter Israel or its territorial waters; rather, they planned to travel from Sicily to Gaza’s territorial waters, acknowledged as part of the State of Palestine, through international waters. However, the Israeli navy intercepted their ship, forcibly detaining the activists and taking them to Israel against their will, which Adalah argues is a violation of their fundamental rights under international humanitarian law.
Despite the legal arguments presented by Adalah, the court dismissed all appeals, ruling that the naval blockade on Gaza is considered “lawful” under Israeli jurisdiction and that the activists acted in violation of it. Israeli law allows for those subject to deportation orders to be detained for 72 hours or longer before forced removal unless they agree to leave voluntarily. A detention review hearing is scheduled for July 8, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., if deportation has not been carried out by that time.
By this ruling, the court has effectively provided legal cover for potentially prolonged arbitrary detention exceeding one month, without judicial oversight, contravening international law and the activists’ rights, as stated by Adalah.