Delhi cops detain students on their way to Israel embassy to protest over Gaza

The Delhi Police have reportedly detained several activists of the All India Students’ Association (AISA) when they were on their way to the Embassy of Israel in the capital city.

The students planned to protest against the siege of Gaza by Israel and the detention of activists, including Swedish environment campaigner Greta Thunberg, aboard the Gaza-bound aid ship operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

Students detained

The students detained in Delhi on Tuesday (June 10) included Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) president Nitish Kumar, AISA Jamia secretary Saurabh, SFI Delhi state president Sooraj Elamon, and joint secretary Mehina Fatima among others.

Also read: Gaza-bound aid boat with Greta Thunberg on board arrives in Israel

The AISA Delhi released a statement condemning the detention of students and demanded a “boycott and divestment from Israel and end to the joint ventures, weapons deals and business exchange” with the country by the Indian government.

“The students currently, despite the repression, have refused to move and will start marching towards the embassy soon,” Sooraj wrote on Facebook after his detention.

Aid ship stopped

Thunberg was one of 12 passengers on the Madleen, the ship carrying aid to Gaza that was meant to protest Israel’s ongoing war there and shed light on the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.

Early on Monday, Israeli forces seized the aid boat and detained Thunberg and the other activists. They were held at a detention facility in the Israeli city of Ramle before deportation. Thunberg was deported on Tuesday, by a flight to France, from where she was headed to Sweden, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.

Also read: US vetoes UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate Gaza ceasefire

Activists “kidnapped”

The activists had set out from Sicily a week ago to protest Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip and its restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, both of which have put the territory of around 2 million Palestinians at risk of famine.

Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was also among the volunteers on board.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition later said the activists were “kidnapped by Israeli forces” while trying to deliver desperately needed aid to the territory.

“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated,” it said in a statement. It said the ship was seized in international waters about 200 km from Gaza.

Also read: Food delivery halted in Gaza by US and Israel-backed group after fatal shootings

Israel’s claim

Israel’s Foreign Ministry portrayed the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying in an X post that the aid would be sent to Gaza through established channels.

Israeli officials claimed the flotilla contained less than a truckload of aid. “This wasn’t humanitarian aid. It’s Instagram activism,” Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said.

(With additional inputs from agencies)