BREAKING Ecumenical Group Condemns Israel's Attacks on the Sumud Flotilla Bringing Aid to Gaza with Nearly 50 Ships and 500 People
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On October 1–2, 2025, Israeli naval forces intercepted and boarded the flotilla vessels. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was detained by Israeli forces in early October 2025, after participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla's attempt to deliver aid to Gaza. The flotilla, composed of nearly 50 vessels and roughly 500 activists, was intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters off the coast of Gaza. According to a Guardian report, a Swedish foreign ministry email stated that Thunberg claimed to have received insufficient food and water, developed rashes from bedbugs, and was subjected to harsh treatment other activists said that they were treated harshly. Globally thousands are protesting Israel's treatment of the flotilla and Gazans.
Washington, D.C. - October 3, 2025
October 3, 2025, Washington D.C.- On the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday and the International Day of Nonviolence, the Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of nearly 50 ships and 500 people from 44 countries, set sail to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people and to call for an end to the brutal siege of Gaza. This peaceful initiative has been met with violent aggression, as Israeli forces have now attacked the flotilla and arrested hundreds of activists in international waters.
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) condemns these attacks as both illegal and immoral. Targeting humanitarian aid vessels is a grave violation of international law and an affront to the principles of human dignity and nonviolence. We call on all governments, including the United States, to urgently act and communicate to Israeli authorities that:
Israeli attacks on humanitarian boats seeking to break the siege constitute war crimes. Under international humanitarian law, civilian and humanitarian missions must be protected, and deliberately targeting those carrying aid is a criminal act that violates the most basic norms of justice.
All those detained, as well as the ships and humanitarian supplies, must be released without delay. Arresting peaceful activists, seizing their vessels, and withholding aid destined for desperate civilians in Gaza is unlawful and morally indefensible. Immediate release is essential to prevent further injustice.
The siege of Gaza and the nearly two years of massacres against its people must end immediately. For almost two decades, the blockade has deprived Palestinians in Gaza of freedom of movement, access to essential goods, and fundamental human rights. The international community must act now to bring this collective punishment to an end and to protect the lives and dignity of the Palestinian people, and to protect the rights of all people in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
As people of faith committed to peace and justice, we urge the international community to uphold the principles of nonviolence, protect those bringing aid, and take immediate action to end the suffering in Gaza by calling for a comprehensive permanent ceasefire that includes a release of all hostages and those held unjustly in Palestinian prisons, supporting unfettered access to aid and humanitarian assistance, and addressing the root causes of decades of violence and atrocities.
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Formed in 1984, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is a coalition of more than 30 national church communions and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelical traditions that works to encourage US policies that actively promote a comprehensive resolution to conflicts in the Middle East with a focus on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. CMEP works to mobilize US Christians to embrace a holistic perspective and to be advocates of equality, human rights, security, and justice for Israelis, Palestinians, and all people of the Middle East.
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) condemns these attacks as both illegal and immoral. Targeting humanitarian aid vessels is a grave violation of international law and an affront to the principles of human dignity and nonviolence. We call on all governments, including the United States, to urgently act and communicate to Israeli authorities that:
Israeli attacks on humanitarian boats seeking to break the siege constitute war crimes. Under international humanitarian law, civilian and humanitarian missions must be protected, and deliberately targeting those carrying aid is a criminal act that violates the most basic norms of justice.
All those detained, as well as the ships and humanitarian supplies, must be released without delay. Arresting peaceful activists, seizing their vessels, and withholding aid destined for desperate civilians in Gaza is unlawful and morally indefensible. Immediate release is essential to prevent further injustice.
The siege of Gaza and the nearly two years of massacres against its people must end immediately. For almost two decades, the blockade has deprived Palestinians in Gaza of freedom of movement, access to essential goods, and fundamental human rights. The international community must act now to bring this collective punishment to an end and to protect the lives and dignity of the Palestinian people, and to protect the rights of all people in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
As people of faith committed to peace and justice, we urge the international community to uphold the principles of nonviolence, protect those bringing aid, and take immediate action to end the suffering in Gaza by calling for a comprehensive permanent ceasefire that includes a release of all hostages and those held unjustly in Palestinian prisons, supporting unfettered access to aid and humanitarian assistance, and addressing the root causes of decades of violence and atrocities.
###
Formed in 1984, Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is a coalition of more than 30 national church communions and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Evangelical traditions that works to encourage US policies that actively promote a comprehensive resolution to conflicts in the Middle East with a focus on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. CMEP works to mobilize US Christians to embrace a holistic perspective and to be advocates of equality, human rights, security, and justice for Israelis, Palestinians, and all people of the Middle East.
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