ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish woman was one of dozens of people arrested by Israeli naval forces on Wednesday when they intercepted a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Renaz Ebrahimi, a 34-year-old Kurd from Iran with Finnish citizenship, was on board the Global Sumud Flotilla when it was stopped by Israeli security forces before reaching the Gaza coast. Her mother, Sema, told Rudaw that her daughter and several of her friends were detained around 11:40 pm on Wednesday. She said Renaz had sent humanitarian aid to Gaza several times and was proud of her daughter's work.
In a social media post after her detention, Ebrahimi wrote: “If you see this video: Israeli occupation forces have detained us and taken us to Israel unlawfully and against our will. We demand that the Government of Finland act immediately to bring us home safely! Stop the genocide!”
Before her arrest, she reassured her mother in a message: “Don’t worry, we are safe… Everything is fine.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla carried volunteers and aid workers from 37 countries, including 30 from Spain, 22 from Italy, 21 from Turkey, and 12 from Malaysia, according to flotilla spokesperson Saif Abukeshek.
Israeli forces seized control of the flotilla and detained the activists on board, according to the organisers. Israel had vowed to block the ships, claiming the convoy was attempting to “breach a lawful naval blockade.”
Organizers maintain that international law requires humanitarian aid to be allowed through to Gaza, where famine is spreading under Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian enclave.
Renaz Ebrahimi, a 34-year-old Kurd from Iran with Finnish citizenship, was on board the Global Sumud Flotilla when it was stopped by Israeli security forces before reaching the Gaza coast. Her mother, Sema, told Rudaw that her daughter and several of her friends were detained around 11:40 pm on Wednesday. She said Renaz had sent humanitarian aid to Gaza several times and was proud of her daughter's work.
In a social media post after her detention, Ebrahimi wrote: “If you see this video: Israeli occupation forces have detained us and taken us to Israel unlawfully and against our will. We demand that the Government of Finland act immediately to bring us home safely! Stop the genocide!”
Before her arrest, she reassured her mother in a message: “Don’t worry, we are safe… Everything is fine.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla carried volunteers and aid workers from 37 countries, including 30 from Spain, 22 from Italy, 21 from Turkey, and 12 from Malaysia, according to flotilla spokesperson Saif Abukeshek.
Israeli forces seized control of the flotilla and detained the activists on board, according to the organisers. Israel had vowed to block the ships, claiming the convoy was attempting to “breach a lawful naval blockade.”
Organizers maintain that international law requires humanitarian aid to be allowed through to Gaza, where famine is spreading under Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian enclave.
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