Kiwis detained in Israel after flotilla intercepted get consular support

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed a consular partner has met with the New Zealanders detained in Israel.

Last Monday, organisers for a humanitarian flotilla trying to break an Israeli blockade of Gaza said the boats carrying Rana Hamida, Youssef Sammour and Kiwi teenager Samuel Leason were illegally intercepted.

The Global Sumud Flotilla involved dozens of boats carrying 500 people, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.

Leason, from Ōtaki, posted to social media that it appeared his boat had come up to what was believed to be an Israeli military blockade.

“It looks like we’re going to be illegally intercepted by Israel,” he said in a video.

“If we made it through the night, we will actually see the shores of Palestine and I mean obviously there’s still a chance that we might.”

The 18-year-old expressed his concern for the two Palestinian-New Zealanders in the flotilla – Sammour and Hamida – saying he feared they would be “in a lot more danger than I am”.

The Israel Foreign Ministry said at the time the “sole purpose” of the flotilla – which it called the “Hamas-Sumud” flotilla, using the name of the group which launched the 2023 attacks that sparked the current fighting – was “provocation”.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) said on Sunday the three New Zealanders had been provided with some consular support.

“Given we do not have an embassy presence in Israel, a consular partner in Tel Aviv met with the New Zealanders detained and provided initial consular support on Friday [Israel time].

“We expect to continue to provide support in the coming days, alongside engaging with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on their situation. We will not be commenting further on individuals’ cases for privacy reasons.”

The ministry also said it had not been informed of any New Zealanders being expelled from Israel.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry posted on X, formerly Twitter, that 137 “provocateurs” had been deported to Turkey after the flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza was intercepted this week.

It said they were citizens of 14 countries, including the United States and United Kingdom.

In late September, Italy urged the international flotilla of 50 civilian boats to hand over its aid supplies for Gaza and allow them to be distributed by the Catholic Church, after the flotilla was attacked by drones.

Israel launched a war in Gaza in response to the October 7, 2023 attacks on the country by Hamas militants which killed 1200 Israelis and led to 251 being taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, the conflict has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and has spread famine, destroyed most buildings and displaced the population, in many – in some cases, multiple times.

– RNZ