DFAT Urgently Seeks Welfare Of 11 Australians Detained By Israel After Gaza Flotilla Intercept

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said it was urgently seeking confirmation of the welfare of 11 Australian activists detained by Israel after boats in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla were intercepted by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in international waters off the coast of Cyprus.

“In short: A group of 11 Australians are among hundreds of people who have been detained after Israel intercepted Gaza-bound ships, flotilla organisers say”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

SBS Australia reported that the flotilla organisers said nearly 400 people had been detained and that the location and condition of the Australians remained unknown, with the media delegate confirming there had been no contact with the activists since the delegation was intercepted.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Guardian said the Global Sumud Flotilla alleged the IDF encircled 38 ships that were part of a fleet of 54 boats which left Turkey last week for the embattled strip, and that the ships carrying 319 activists from dozens of nations were about 250 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza when they were surrounded.

The Israeli foreign ministry posted to X that activists from what it called the “provocation flotilla” had been transferred to Israeli vessels, alleging “no aid” had been found on their boats, a claim the flotilla disputed.

DFAT spokespersons told reporters they would continue to make clear their expectation that any detainees receive humane treatment in line with international norms, as the search for the Australians’ whereabouts continued.

At a Melbourne press conference, the Guardian reported that O’Toole’s mother, Suzie O’Toole, said she was “terrified” for her 23-year-old’s wellbeing and O’Connor’s father, Chris O’Connor, said the federal government had “lost [its] decency” for not intervening.

In a statement carried by Deepcut News, Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi slammed the Israeli raid as an act of “piracy” and accused the Albanese government of “inaction” and “complicity,” saying “They should have already picked up the phone to demand the release and safe passage of all Australians aboard the flotilla.”

Deepcut News

The Guardian also quoted a DFAT spokesperson saying it was “urgently seeking” confirmation of the Australians’ welfare and that it continued to urge Australians not to join others seeking to break the Israeli naval blockade as they would be putting themselves and others at risk of injury, death, arrest or deportation.

SBS Australia reported that Julie Webb-Pullman said she hadn’t heard from her daughter since 8.09pm on Monday, as the flotilla was intercepted, and she told reporters: “Serial kidnappers have done it again, abducted my daughter in international waters while she was delivering humanitarian aid.”

The Guardian added that lawyers Greg Barns SC and Bernadette Zaydan said Israel had demonstrated a “documented pattern of harm” against civilian humanitarian workers, while the Israeli foreign ministry maintained the activists were transferred and that no aid was found.

The Guardian reported that Italy, Indonesia and Spain pressed the Israeli government to release the detained activists, and it said Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires in Madrid over what he called “a new violation of international law barely 15 days after the previous interception”.

“For Jean-Noël Barrot, the Handala expedition bound for Gaza is "irresponsible"”

France 24

SBS Australia said parents and loved ones called for immediate government action at a conference at the State Library Victoria on Tuesday, and it reported that Neve O’Connor’s father said it was made clear to the Sumud participants that the IDF could not guarantee the safety of any of the prisoners on the prison ship.

The Guardian described how the Australians were held on an Israeli vessel for two days before being released in Crete during an earlier interception off the coast of Greece, and it quoted Ethan Floyd saying it wasn’t a “radical act” to attempt to deliver food, water and medicine to a “starving population” in Gaza.

Deepcut News said the 11 Australians were part of a 74-ship humanitarian fleet determined to break Israel’s crippling siege of the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid, and it reported that the number was reduced to 52 ships after a separate Israeli attack on the flotilla last month near Greek waters.

Across the coverage, DFAT reiterated its expectation of humane treatment in line with international norms while urging Australians not to join efforts to break the Israeli naval blockade, as the fate of the detained Australians—including names such as Anny Mokotow and Dr Bianca Webb-Pullman—remained under active confirmation.