Israel places 2 foreign activists from Gaza aid ship in solitary confinement

ISTANBUL (AA) - Israel has placed two international activists from a Gaza-bound aid ship in solitary confinement, an Israeli rights group said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the rights organization and legal center Adalah said Brazilian volunteer Thiago Ávila and French-Palestinian European Parliament member Rima Hassan were transferred to separate prison facilities, away from the others, and placed in solitary confinement.

“Tiago Ávila was placed in isolation in Ayalon Prison due to his ongoing hunger and thirst strike, which he began two days ago,” it said.

“Rima Hassan was placed in isolation under inhumane conditions in Neve Tirza Prison after writing “Free Palestine” on a wall in Givon Prison.”

The pair was among 12 international activists detained by Israeli forces aboard the Madleen aid ship on Monday. Israel deported four activists to their home countries on Tuesday, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

The British-flagged vessel was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters as it set sail for Gaza in an attempt to break an Israeli naval blockade on the enclave, where over 55,000 people have been killed in a deadly onslaught since October 2023.