Statement by the Last Releasee of the Global Sumud Flotilla from Israeli Jail
ACTIVISM, 20 Oct 2025
Huwaida Arraf | Maung Zarni - TRANSCEND Media Service
Huwaida Arraf, a US attorney, Palestinian with Israeli citizenship, was on the Sumud Flotilla that Israel illegally intercepted on 1-2 Oct 2025 in international waters. She was taken to Israel, had a sham hearing, was physically abused, refused to sign a statement, and was then expelled. She is fearless. Here is her story.
“Thank you all for your support and very kind messages. I was released Sunday [12 Oct] evening, along with my colleague Zohar Regev. We were the last of the flotilla hostages to be released. I am now safe in Amman and will be heading home to Michigan soon.
“Israel is a truly sick, brutal, fascist, and lawless state that masquerades as a democracy. For example, those of us holding Israeli citizenship were subjected to a sham hearing on the conditions of our release, accused of ‘illegally infiltrating’ Israel. The judge refused even to address the fact that Israel has no jurisdiction in international waters — from where it abducted us, bringing us into Israel against our will.
“The Israeli citizens were separated from the internationals, who were taken to a prison camp adorned with a huge poster showing Gaza reduced to rubble, with the words ‘The New Gaza.’ All of us were subjected to varying degrees of violence and attempts to break our spirits. I was attacked by a gang of female officers immediately after stepping off the boat because I was wearing a t-shirt that said ‘For the Children of Gaza’ and had a kuffiyeh wrapped around my waist. In their attempt to rip the kuffiyeh off, they pulled my hair, twisted my arms, zip tied me as tight as they could, knocked me to the ground, and kicked me in the chest. When I said I couldn’t breathe, they told me that if I wanted to breathe, I had to get on my knees — which I refused to do. I may have a couple of fractured ribs, but otherwise I’m doing OK. Some of my colleagues suffered worse.
“Israel believes it can get away with genocide — and with abusing internationals — because the world, primarily the United States, has allowed it to. The U.S. consistently shields Israel from any form of accountability. A dozen U.S. citizens were illegally held in Israeli captivity and abused for between 3 to 5 days, yet we did not receive even a single phone call from the U.S. Consulate or Embassy, let alone a visit. This is just one small example of the U.S. sacrificing its own citizens to do Israel’s bidding.
“It’s hard to share these things, because we are NOT the story. What’s happening to Palestinians in Gaza and the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory, and what’s happening to Palestinians in Israel’s dungeons–these are the stories that matter. The abuse we endured is nothing compared to what more than 11,000 Palestinian captives, including children, face in Israeli prisons, where torture is systematic and impunity the norm. At least 80 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli custody over the past two years; and that’s only according to Israel’s own admission. Who knows how many more.
“We know our ordeal will end within days or a week, maybe a bit longer. For Palestinians, captivity and torture last months, years, or a lifetime.
“Thank you again for the love. The few of us on the boats are nothing without the millions around the world acting in support.”
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1En8UiQdKo/
Submitted by TRANSCEND Member Maung Zarni
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Tags: Activism, Gaza, Genocide, Global Sumud Flotilla, Israel, Nonviolent Action, Palestine
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 20 Oct 2025.
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