Two Israelis face court after joining Gaza aid flotilla

An Israeli court will on Sunday decide whether to release or extend the detention of two Israeli citizens arrested after joining an international flotilla that sought to deliver aid to Gaza and challenge Israel's blockade of the enclave.

The Israel-based rights group Adalah announced that the hearing would take place at the Ashkelon Magistrate's Court, where judges will rule on the cases of activists Zohar Chamberlain Regev and Huwaida Arraf.

The two were among around 150 passengers aboard The Conscience, one of nine ships in the Global Sumud Flotilla intercepted by Israeli naval forces earlier this week in international waters, about 120 nautical miles off Gaza's coast.

The flotilla, carrying aid and campaigners from more than 40 countries, aimed to draw attention to what organisers called Israel's "collective punishment" of Gaza's population.

Adalah said the pair were "unlawfully detained by Israeli forces in international waters", describing the arrests as a violation of both international and Israeli law.

"Their continued detention is not only unlawful but exposes Israel's unwillingness to tolerate dissent, even from its own citizens," the group said in a statement.

The court previously proposed "arbitrary and unlawful restrictive conditions" for their release, including bans on entering Gaza or taking part in future solidarity missions. Both detainees rejected those terms, and Adalah's appeal to the District Court was dismissed.

The outcome of the case, Adalah said, could set an important precedent for Israel’s treatment of domestic critics involved in international solidarity missions to Gaza.

As of early October 2025, six foreign activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla remain in Israeli detention as legal and diplomatic efforts continue for their release.

The detained activists and released flotilla participants have reported mistreatment while in Israeli custody, including harsh treatment, denial of medicines, and humiliation tactics.