The detentions are the latest in several days of disruptions to flotilla-related events in Tunis as organizers prepare a mission they say will carry more than 1,000 activists from Spain, Tunisia, and Italy toward Gaza. Israel intercepted a similar civilian flotilla last year, and the United Nations says more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza continue to face a humanitarian crisis.
Tunisian authorities detained three members of the Global Sumud Flotilla steering committee Friday as the country’s National Guard financial crimes unit opened an inquiry into suspected money laundering, fraud, and the alleged misuse of donation funds, organizers said.
The arrested activists — Wael Naouar, Jawaher Channa, and Nabil Channoufi — are members of both the flotilla’s international steering committee and its Tunisian organizing body, organizers said. None of the three had commented as of Friday, according to the Associated Press.
The new flotilla is the latest effort by a multinational group of activists to challenge Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza, where the United Nations says more than 2 million Palestinians face a humanitarian crisis. Israel intercepted boats and detained activists on a similar civilian flotilla mission last year.
Charges and official response
The financial crimes probe reportedly targets several managers and members of the flotilla steering committee, with certain members taken into custody while authorities verify the origin and management of donation funds, Tunisian media reported. Tunisian authorities did not publicly comment on the detentions.
Flotilla organizers accused authorities of targeting activists for their support of the Palestinian cause and called for the detainees’ immediate release, according to a statement from organizers.
Parallel detention and banned events
Also on Friday, Brazilian campaigner Thiago Ávila was detained at Brussels Airport while traveling from Tunis to Amsterdam for a meeting of the Hague Group, a bloc of states committed to legal and diplomatic measures in defense of international law, Ávila’s team said on Facebook.
The Friday arrests came after days of disruptions to flotilla-related events in Tunis. Authorities banned a planned event Thursday that had been expected to host Ávila, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, and Global March to Gaza Palestinian organizer Seif Abu Koshk. Earlier in the week, security forces prevented a ceremony at the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said intended to honor port workers who had supported a previous flotilla mission, activists said.
Flotilla scope and Gaza humanitarian context
According to organizers, the new flotilla is planned to include more than 1,000 activists, among them medical doctors, war crimes investigators, and engineers. Boats are expected to sail from Spain, Tunisia, and Italy, supported by a land convoy expected to attract thousands more participants.
The United Nations said hundreds of thousands of pallets of humanitarian supplies have been collected at crossings into Gaza since a ceasefire in October. Israel has since suspended more than two dozen humanitarian organizations from operating in the territory for failing to comply with new registration rules.
Prior to Friday’s detentions, the Tunisian branch of the flotilla’s steering committee had called for a protest in Tunis on Saturday in support of Iran following joint strikes by the United States and Israel, the Associated Press reported.