RSF condemns the ‘kidnapping’ of three journalists who are part of the Gaza aid flotilla Freedom of Journalists News

Among the journalists who have been arrested are Al Jazeera reporter Hafed Mribah and cameraman Mahmut Yavuz.

Reporters Without Borders (known by the French acronym RSF) accused Israel of “capturing” three journalists who boarded the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, which Israel intervention when it was moving in all kinds of water.

In a statement on social media on Thursday, RSF said it “condemns the abduction in international waters by the Israeli military” of French journalist Hafed Mribah and Turkish photographer Mahmut Yavuz, who work for Al Jazeera, and journalist Alex Colston, who works for the US media outlet Zeteo.

“Israel is responsible for their security,” RSF said.

Al Jazeera expressed “deep concern for the safety” of its journalists.

“The network has Israeli officials responsible for the protection of Hafedh and Mahmut’s comrades, and calls on countries to take action against Israel’s violations of international law and conventions,” it said. words.

Al Jazeera, which said it has lost contact with its team that boarded the flotilla, “reaffirms its commitment to the freedom of the press and calls for the protection of all journalists, allowing them to carry out their work freely and without hindrance”, concluded the statement.

Organizers said Israel seized 22 of 58 Gaza-bound ships late Wednesday in waters off Greece’s Peloponnese Peninsula, hundreds of miles off the Palestinian coast.

Organizers said 211 people had been arrested, and Israel said it would transport the prisoners to Greece.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused Israel of “again violating international law by attacking civilians in waters that do not belong to it”, and urged the European Union to end the bilateral agreement.

Following Israel’s occupation of the former Gaza Strip in October, some activists those arrested alleged that Israeli authorities subjected them to physical and psychological abuse, including beatings, forced kneeling, blindfolding and sleep deprivation.

Israel said allegations that Greta Thunberg and 170 other imprisoned Swedish climate activists were tortured and denied freedom in prison were “fake news”.

Based on testimonies collected from 59 Palestinian journalists who were arrested by Israel after the Hamas attack in October 2023. Committee to Protect Journalists it said in a February report that Israeli authorities routinely mistreat journalists, including torture, severe beatings, sexual abuse, starvation, and medical neglect while in prison.

Many of the journalists interviewed also said they had been imprisoned without charge.