DUBLIN: British and Irish activists who were part of a Gaza-bound flotilla seized and deported by Israel returned to London and Dublin on Saturday, following global condemnation over their treatment. Among the Irish activists who arrived at Dublin Airport via Turkey was Margaret Connolly, sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly. She recounted being held with the other detained activists in &quot;containers&quot;, where she said several people risked hypothermia. Several supporters sporting keffiyeh scarves and Palestinian flags turned out to welcome the Irish activists, who described being &quot;abused&quot; and &quot;tortured&quot; in detention. &quot;We were split in groups and the next couple of days were some of the most horrific times I&#39;ve ever experienced,&quot; said activist Tom Deasy. Seven UK-based activists also landed at London&#39;s Stansted Aiport on Saturday, many still wearing Israeli prison tracksuits. They reported that Israeli forces had shot rubber bullets at them when intercepting the convoy of vessels earlier this week. &quot;There was a woman in my prison cell who had a big hole in her leg as a result of one of those shootings,&quot; said Hannah Schafer, a 62-year-old from Wales. Israel&#39;s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked widespread condemnation and a diplomatic backlash Wednesday by posting a video showing the detained activists with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground. Elliot Roberts, 34, who captained one of the boats, said he recalled Gvir entering the tent where they were held, alleging the guards were &quot;playing Israeli music to hide the screams&quot; of the detainees. The UK said it had summoned Israel&#39;s most senior diplomat in Britain earlier this week following &quot;the inflammatory video&quot;. A leaked letter revealed Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin urging the EU chief for &quot;further action&quot; against Israel over their treatment, including a ban on goods from Israeli settlements and the suspension &quot;of parts if not all&quot; of the EU&#39;s Association Agreement with Israel. Since the start of Israeli war on Gaza in October 2023, the territory has suffered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies, with Israel at times halting aid deliveries entirely. Several international organizations, including Amnesty International, reported Israel&rsquo;s atrocities in the region amounting to genocide.

Europe

British and Irish Gaza flotilla activists return after Israeli detention, recount abuse and torture in custody following seizure of aid vessels bound for Gaza.

Detained British, Irish flotilla activists recount Israeli abuse, torture

DAMASCUS: Amnesty International said on Thursday that the Israeli army&#39;s destruction of civilian homes in southern Syria since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad should be investigated as &quot;war crimes&quot;. Israel moved its forces into a UN-patrolled demilitarized zone on the Israeli-occupied <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/syria-says-israeli-tank-fire-kills-man-in-countrys-south" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Syrian Golan Heights</a> after Assad&#39;s December 2024 toppling. It has also launched hundreds of strikes on Syria and carries out regular incursions into the country&#39;s south where it demands a demilitarized zone. Call for probe&quot;The Israeli military&#39;s deliberate destruction of civilian homes&quot; in southern Syria&#39;s Quneitra province since December 2024 &quot;with no absolute military necessity, should be investigated as war crimes&quot;, Amnesty said in a statement. &quot;Israel has an obligation to make reparations for these serious violations of international humanitarian law,&quot; the rights group added. Amnesty said that the day Assad fell, Israeli forces entered three villages and towns in the UN-demilitarized zone in Quneitra province, &quot;conducting home raids and ordering residents to leave&quot;. &quot;Over the following six months, the Israeli military destroyed or damaged at least 23 civilian structures in three villages,&quot; Amnesty said, adding that witnesses described the buildings as &quot;their and their neighbors&#39; homes&quot;. Satellite imageryThe rights group said it used satellite imagery to verify damage and destruction to 23 structures in the villages. &quot;Securing Israel&#39;s border cannot be used to justify bulldozing and blowing up people&#39;s homes and villages on the territory of another country,&quot; Kristine Beckerle, Amnesty&#39;s deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa said in the statement. Israeli operations in south Syria have continued even as the new authorities in Damascus have held talks with Israeli officials in recent months as they edge towards a security agreement after decades of hostilities. Israel has occupied most of Syria&#39;s Golan Heights since 1967, annexing it in 1981 in a move not recognized by most of the international community.

Middle East

Israel moved its forces into a UN-patrolled demilitarized zone on the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights after Assad's December 2024 toppling; it has also launched hundreds of strikes on Syria and carries out regular incursions into the country's south where it demands a demilitarized zone.

Amnesty calls for 'war crimes' probe into Israeli destruction of south Syria homes

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Israel continued committing acts amounting to genocide against Palestinians in Gaza even after a ceasefire, operating with impunity within what Amnesty International described as a system of apartheid constituting crimes against humanity, the rights group said Thursday following the International Criminal Court&rsquo;s Assembly of States Parties.&nbsp;Amnesty published a legal analysis showing that Israeli authorities deliberately inflicted conditions of life designed to bring about the physical destruction of Palestinians, without signaling any change in intent since the ceasefire was announced on October 9.&nbsp;&ldquo;It is against this backdrop of apartheid and unlawful occupation that Israel deliberately unleashed mass starvation, unprecedented bloodshed, apocalyptic levels of destruction, massive forced displacement and placed a deliberate stranglehold on humanitarian aid, all illustrations of the ongoing crime of genocide,&rdquo; Amnesty Secretary General Agn&egrave;s Callamard said.&nbsp;The organization reported that at least 370 people, including 140 children, were killed in Israeli attacks after the ceasefire. Overall, more than 70,000 Palestinians were killed and over 200,000 injured during the conflict, many sustaining life-changing injuries.&nbsp;Amnesty said Israel deliberately restricted critical aid, including medical supplies and infrastructure repair equipment, while civilians were subjected to repeated waves of forced displacement.&nbsp;Israeli officials ignored three binding International Court of Justice decisions and failed to investigate or prosecute those responsible for acts of genocide or hold accountable officials who made genocidal statements.&nbsp;&ldquo;The international community&#39;s willful inaction towards holding Israel accountable for its crimes under international law and the failure to press it into adhering to UN recommendations have entrenched Israel&#39;s unlawful occupation and apartheid and directly enabled Israel&#39;s genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,&rdquo; Callamard added.&nbsp;In the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli military operations, including aerial attacks, killed at least 995 Palestinians, including 219 children, displaced tens of thousands, and caused extensive damage to homes, infrastructure, and agricultural land.&nbsp;Amnesty noted that state-backed settler attacks escalated over the last two years. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented over 1,600 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage since January 2025, disproportionately affecting Palestinian herding communities in Area C.&nbsp;&ldquo;Despite international condemnations and some restrictive measures adopted by third states against individual settlers and settler organizations, settler violence continued to increase due to Israeli government backing and virtually total impunity,&rdquo; Amnesty said.&nbsp;The UN Committee Against Torture described Israel&#39;s treatment of detainees as &ldquo;a de facto state policy of organized and widespread torture and ill-treatment, which had gravely intensified since October 7, 2023.&rdquo;&nbsp;Amnesty said Israeli forces were responsible for arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, and systematic torture of Palestinian detainees with impunity.&nbsp;The organization criticized recent peace initiatives, including the Trump peace plan, as &ldquo;fatally flawed&rdquo; for proposing solutions that sideline international law while implicitly rewarding Israel&rsquo;s unlawful occupation, illegal settlements, and system of apartheid.&nbsp;Amnesty warned that the current ceasefire further entrenched Israel&#39;s apartheid and unlawful occupation. The imposition of a security perimeter in Gaza risked permanent occupation, deprivation of fertile land, and territorial fragmentation underpinning apartheid.&nbsp;The group called for a justice roadmap to end Israel&rsquo;s genocide, apartheid, and occupation, while also addressing crimes under international law by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.&nbsp;The ICC had issued arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.&nbsp;&ldquo;There is no greater litmus test for this than in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. States must demonstrate their commitment to international justice by supporting institutions such as the ICC and protecting their ability to pursue accountability,&rdquo; Callamard said.&nbsp;Amnesty concluded that decades of international crimes could not be swept under the carpet with deals that ignore accountability. &ldquo;Truth, justice and reparations are the bedrocks of lasting peace,&rdquo; Callamard said.

Amnesty reported Israel continued committing genocide in Gaza post-ceasefire, restricting aid, displacing civilians, and ignoring accountability, calling for international justice, ICC cooperation, and an end to apartheid.

Articles tagged with "Amnesty International"

Detained British, Irish flotilla activists recount Israeli abuse, torture

Amnesty calls for 'war crimes' probe into Israeli destruction of south Syria homes

Amnesty condemns Israel’s Gaza genocide, calls for international accountability

Detained British, Irish flotilla activists recount Israeli abuse, torture