Latest news with #OmarFaiad
Al Jazeera
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Sailing to break the siege on Gaza
On June 1, twelve people set sail to break the Gaza siege. Al Jazeera Mubasher's Omar Faiad was one of them. He recounts life aboard the Madleen, its seizure by Israeli forces, and the psychological pressure activists faced in detention.
Al-Ahram Weekly
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Eight Madleen Gaza boat activists remain detained in Israel: Rights group - War on Gaza
Eight of the 12 international volunteers aboard the Madleen boat, which attempted to break Israel's siege on Gaza, remain in Israeli custody, according to Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, which is representing the activists. Israeli forces seized the Madleen boat early Monday, about 200 kilometres off Gaza's coast. All 12 activists aboard were detained and transferred to the port of Ashdod. On Tuesday, Israel's Detention Review Tribunal upheld orders to keep eight international volunteers in custody until their deportation. Under Israeli law, those facing deportation can be detained for up to 72 hours unless they agree to leave earlier. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which organized the voyage, condemned Israel's interception in international waters as a breach of international law. The group said Tel Aviv is treating all 12 activists as if they 'illegally entered' Israel, despite being seized forcibly from international waters. Four of the Madleen 12, including renowned Swiss climate activist Greta Thunberg and Egyptian-French Al Jazeera journalist Omar Faiad, have been deported after agreeing to leave. The remaining eight, including French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, are held at Givon prison in Ramle, where the coalition describes their detention as unlawful, politically motivated, and in violation of international law. According to Israel Today, the detainees are provided with official prison uniforms and some necessities, including personal hygiene items like soap and toothbrushes—items often denied to Palestinian prisoners. However, on Monday, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir issued instructions preventing the prison authorities from allowing communication or media devices, such as radios and televisions, in the cells where the activists are held. According to Omar Faiad's testimony on Al Jazeera, the Madleen activists endured verbal and psychological abuse during their capture. Rima Hassan, for example, was threatened with physical violence by an Israeli interrogator who warned that if she refused to sign deportation papers, they would smash her head against a wall and question her 'their way.' Meanwhile, Greta Thunberg, who has Asperger's Syndrome, was deliberately kept awake by an assigned officer, causing her neurological distress from prolonged sensory and physical overstimulation. One detainee, Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila, has been on a hunger and water strike since early Tuesday. Others report poor detention conditions, including bed bugs and unsafe tap water. At a tribunal hearing, lawyers from Adalah argued that Israel's seizure of the boat, detention of peaceful activists, and the ongoing blockade of Gaza violate international law. They stressed that the Gaza blockade amounts to collective punishment and breaches provisional measures from the International Court of Justice in the South Africa v. Israel genocide case. Adalah also challenged Israel's jurisdiction, noting the activists were captured in international waters, and called for their immediate release, return to the Madleen, and the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The activists told the tribunal that Israeli forces had forcibly taken them. They added that their mission was humanitarian—to deliver aid and break the siege on Gaza, which they say has no legal basis under international law. According to the Freedom Flotilla website, the Madleen 12's current status is as follows: Baptiste Andre (France) – Deported Greta Thunberg (Sweden) – Deported Sergio Toribio (Spain) – Deported Omar Faiad (France) – Deported Suayb Ordu (Turkey) – Detained Mark van Rennes (Netherlands) – Detained Pascal Maurieras (France) – Detained Reva Viard (France) – Detained Rima Hassan (France) – Detained Thiago Ávila (Brazil) – Detained Yanis Mhamdi (France) – Detained Yasemin Acar (Germany) – Detained Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al Jazeera
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera journalist arrives in Paris after Israel deportation
NewsFeed Al Jazeera journalist arrives in Paris after Israel deportation Al Jazeera journalist Omar Faiad arrived in Paris after being deported by Israel for being aboard the 'Madleen', a ship that was attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Arab News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Media groups condemn arrest of 2 journalists aboard Madleen ship
LONDON: Media groups have condemned the arrest of two French journalists who were on board the Gaza-bound Madleen ship, which was intercepted by the Israeli military on Monday. The journalists were identified as Yanis Mhamdi, from the independent media outlet Blast, and Omar Faiad, a reporter for Al Jazeera. In a statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists called for the immediate release of journalists who were part of the pro-Palestinian convoy of activists delivering aid to Gaza as a symbolic protest against the ongoing war and to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis. It urged EU leaders to pressure Israel to 'stop all assaults on press freedom and protect journalists.' Condemning the arrest, Reporters Without Borders said: 'Boarding a civilian vessel in international waters to intercept a crew that included two French journalists documenting a peaceful humanitarian initiative is not only illegal, but constitutes a serious violation of international law and press freedom.' Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the activists and journalists aboard the ship were deported on Tuesday morning from Ben Gurion Airport to their home countries. 'Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorize their deportation. Consuls from the passengers' home countries met them at the airport,' the Foreign Ministry posted on X. The ministry also posted pictures of the renowned climate activist Greta Thunberg on a flight to Sweden following her deportation.
Irish Times
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Deportation of passengers from seized Gaza-bound aid boat imminent, Israel says
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it had taken the passengers who were detained aboard a Gaza Strip -bound aid ship, including activist Greta Thunberg , to an airport in Tel Aviv for deportation. The Madleen, operated by a pro-Palestinian activist group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on Monday, some 200km from Gaza. The ship was brought to the port of Ashdod in Israel where the crew was to be held ahead of deportation and its symbolic cargo of humanitarian aid seized. The passengers were expected to leave Ben Gurion Airport for their home countries within hours, the ministry said in a statement early on Tuesday. READ MORE Any passengers from the UK-flagged ship who refused to leave Israel could be brought before a judicial authority to carry out their deportation, the ministry said in the statement. It was unclear whether any of those who had been on board had refused to leave. Representatives of the coalition did not immediately respond to requests for comment early Tuesday. Ms Thunberg and the other 11 members of the Madleen crew, including the French MEP Rima Hassan and the Al Jazeera journalist Omar Faiad, were out of contact following the seizure of the boat in the early hours of Monday The coalition leads an international grassroots campaign that opposes Israel's long-standing naval blockade of Gaza by sending ships filled with humanitarian aid to the enclave. The Madleen had set sail from Sicily earlier this month. 'The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo – including baby formula, food and medical supplies – confiscated,' it said. Israel had vowed to prevent the ship from reaching Gaza, saying that its military would use any means to stop it from breaching the blockade. The foreign ministry said Monday that the Madleen had been diverted toward Israeli shores. The coalition said its activists had been 'kidnapped' by the Israeli military. United Nations special rapporteur Francesca Albanese called for the crew to be released 'immediately'. Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said he had instructed that upon the boat's arrival at Ashdod, the activists would be shown videos of atrocities committed during the October 7th, 2023 Hamas -led attack on southern Israel. About 1,200 people were killed, mostly civilians, and 250 taken to Gaza, where 55 are still held hostage, in the attacks, which triggered the ongoing conflict in Gaza, in which some 54,000 people have been killed. This article originally appeared in The New York Times .
