Gaza flotilla activists join hunger strike of fellow detainee in Tunisia

Three Gaza flotilla activists have joined the hunger strike of a colleague to protest against their months-long detention by Tunisian authorities.

Ghassan El Henchiri, Ghassan El Boughdiri and Nabil Channoufi joined the hunger strike of Wael Naouar on its 26th day, according to the Global Sumud Flotilla, as a Tunisian court is set to rule on a potential extension of their pre-trial detention.

Global Sumud Flotilla, which organises attempts to break Israel's siege on Gaza, said in a statement that Noauar's condition "has deteriorated significantly, including severe physical weakness, substantial weight loss and kidney complications, and he is now in a potentially life-threatening state".

The group, known as the Sumud 4, are being held in Mornaguia prison and were arrested in March on charges related to suspected fraud, money laundering, and possible misuse of donations.

Tunisia's Economic and Financial Judicial Pole, a body that handles economic and financial cases, ordered the investigation.

The lawyer representing Naouar, Tunisian League for Human Rights President Bassem Trifi, told Al Jazeera that the fundraising activities should not be treated as ordinary financial transactions subject to public procurement and accounting rules, due to their use as part of a solidarity campaign.

A Tunisian court is set to decide on Friday whether the group's pre-trial detention will be extended for a further six months.

The three activists who joined Naouar's hunger strike wrote a letter from the prison explaining their involvement in the flotilla, saying: "We did not step out seeking personal glory, nor in pursuit of false heroism."

"We stepped out because Gaza was, and remains, calling out to the human conscience."

The Global Sumud Flotilla has urged people to contact Tunisian diplomatic representatives and elected officials over the Sumud 4's detention, as well as to organise  demonstrations to "bring the demands of the Sumud 4 into universities, workplaces, unions and community spaces".

"Free the Sumud 4. End the criminalisation of solidarity with Palestine. Let them go home," the group added.

The Sumud 4's detention comes as Tunisia cracks down on international NGOs in the country, with Human Rights Watch last week saying that authorities in the country have weaponised financial and criminal investigations against non-profits.

At least 47 people connected to NGOs have been prosecuted, with 14 having been convicted and sentenced to prison in 2025.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, launched in 2025, has made several attempts to break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver aid to the enclave, however has been repeatedly intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.

In May, an attempt to break the siege saw the mass abduction and detention of hundreds of activists by Israeli forces, with many recounting torture, including beatings and sexual assault by Israeli personnel.