Several international human rights organisations — including the International Justice Forum (Istanbul), the Geneva Center for Democracy and Human Rights, and the International Union of Jurists (Geneva Branch) — have urged the UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent and impartial international commission of inquiry into Israel’s attacks on the Fleet of Resilience, which attempted to deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in September and October 2025.
In an urgent letter addressed to the Council’s President and members, the organisations stated that the attacks on 2 and 3 October 2025, targeted vessels carrying more than 500 volunteers and activists from 40 countries. The ships were transporting medicine and humanitarian supplies for civilians and children under siege in Gaza.
The organisations emphasised that these assaults “amount to war crimes and grave violations of human rights,” and called for an international investigation to determine both individual and institutional legal responsibility.
Legal basis for investigation
The letter stressed that international human rights law and international humanitarian law prohibit the use of force against civilians or peaceful activists, and oblige states to protect civilians even during armed conflict.
It also referred to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which guarantees freedom of navigation and prohibits attacks on civilian vessels in international waters. The organisations underlined the principles of state responsibility and the obligation to hold violators accountable.
Demands and recommendations
- Formation of an independent international commission of inquiry to investigate the attacks, establish the facts, and determine legal responsibility.
- Protection of civilians and humanitarian aid missions from future assaults, including immediate measures to safeguard humanitarian fleets and convoys.
- Referral of the investigation’s findings to competent judicial bodies, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) and national courts applying the principle of universal jurisdiction.
The organisations warned that impunity would only encourage further attacks on peaceful humanitarian initiatives and prolong the suffering of millions of civilians in Gaza, who have lived under an inhumane blockade for years.
They concluded by stressing the urgent need for the Human Rights Council to act, in order to protect the right to life and human dignity and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need.
Details of incident
Israeli police announced on Friday that naval forces had detained 470 participants in the fleet and that Tel Aviv intends to deport the activists to Europe.
On Wednesday, the fleet had issued a distress call after an Israeli military assault on its ships in international waters, describing the attack as a “war crime.”
By early Friday, the Israeli Prison Service reported that around 200 activists had been interrogated. It added that detainees underwent “thorough inspections” before being transferred to Ketziot Prison in the Negev desert for further procedures.
The attack sparked protests and official condemnations in several countries, with calls for the release of the detained activists and for Israel to be held accountable for its violations of international law.
International organizations, including Amnesty International, demanded protection for the Sumud Flotilla, while the United Nations described the assault as “unacceptable.”
This marks the first time dozens of ships have collectively sailed toward Gaza, home to around 2.4 million Palestinians, in a unified effort to break Israel’s 18-year blockade of the enclave.
Since October 2023, Israel — with US support — has been committing genocide in Gaza, killing 66,288 people and injuring 169,165 others, most of them women and children. Famine has also claimed the lives of 455 Palestinians, including 151 children.
