A Luxembourg resident who was detained by Israeli forces on board an aid vessel en route to Gaza has arrived back in the Grand Duchy.
Gildo Molinari arrived at Findel Airport from Istanbul at around 09:00 on Sunday, where he was welcomed by family members and representatives of the non-profit organisation, the Global Sumud Flotilla, he had been travelling with.
The Italian freelance photographer, who has lived in Luxembourg for the past ten years, was among a group of activists involved in the Global Sumud Flotilla. Their vessels were “intercepted by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in international waters, less than 80 nautical miles west of the Greek island of Crete” during the night of 29 to 30 April, according to a press release issued by the group on Saturday evening.
“The Israelis arrived with drones, then surrounded us with speedboats and jammed our radio system,” Molinari, who had set sail from Barcelona in mid-April along with other activists, told the Luxemburger Wort.
Molinari said that armed Israeli soldiers intimidated them in this way before they boarded their boats, with half of the organisation’s 60 boats “intercepted” by Israeli forces. The Global Summud Flotilla has denounced the action as illegal, stating that its flotillas were still in international waters off the Greek coast. Molinari also described the situation as arising from “complicity on the part of the Greek government”.
Together with other activists, the photographer was transferred onto an Israeli vessel, which he described as a “prison on the water”.
“They weren’t even proper cells. We sat on the floor, had no water, nothing. There were only two toilets, and they threw our food in front of the door,” he said.
Claims of violence during operation
Molinari said he did not personally experience physical violence, but alleged that others did.
“Some people were beaten or shot at close range with flashballs,” the 37-year-old claimed.
He said he was held on the ship for around a day and a half before being handed over to the Greek coastguard and brought ashore at the port of Ierapetra. From there, he was flown from Crete to Istanbul before returning to Luxembourg, adding that the Luxembourg government did not cover the cost of his return.
Molinari said the flotilla’s objective was to draw attention to the situation in Gaza and Palestine more broadly, arguing that it is unacceptable that the Israeli occupation forces are committing such attacks against the Palestinian people.
Gildo Molinari (left) set sail from Barcelona in mid-April together with other activists. © Photo credit: Ines Titsaoui
As civil society, we cannot use weapons, but we have the power of community and action
Guildo Molinari
Activist
Another aim of the Flotilla, he said, was to open a humanitarian corridor and deliver aid and medicines. He confirmed he plans to take part in the next campaign organised by the group. Molinari said that his interest in the Palestinian question was sparked after he visited the occupied territories ten years ago, where he became aware of the situation on the ground.
“As civil society, we cannot use weapons, but we have the power of community and action,” Molinari said.
He added that ships departing from Turkey, as well as a land convoy, are still en route to Gaza, expressing hope that such coordinated efforts could make a difference.
Also read:Israeli military detains Luxembourg resident on Gaza flotilla, organisers say
Separately, an Israeli court on Sunday ordered a two-day extension of the detention of two activists from the flotilla for Gaza, Spaniard Saif Abukeshek and Brazilian Thiago Avila, who were arrested off the Greek coast by Israeli forces.
(This article was originally published by the Luxemburger Wort. AI translated, with editing by Lucrezia Reale.)