As genocide and crimes against humanity continue in Gaza, NPWJ leader returns home from thwarted attempt to break the siege, after being unlawfully seized in international waters by notorious naval commando unit Shayetet 13 of the Israeli Military and subjected to illegal incommunicado detention and a wholly arbitrary, unjust deportation process.
Rome/Dublin, 8 October 2025 – No Peace Without Justice announces with profound relief the safe return home of our President, Tara Reynor O’Grady, following her illegal detention by the Israeli military. We recognise her efforts, and all those aboard ships in the Global Sumud Flotilla, to shine the world’s attention on the ongoing genocide and attempt to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians under blockade and illegal siege. We condemn her forcible seizure in international waters and denounce the absurd legal proceedings that followed.
On 1 October 2025, Israeli naval forces illegally intercepted and seized the British-flagged civilian vessel Alma, the lead ship of the peaceful Global Sumud Flotilla, while it was operating in international waters. The mission was transporting verifiable humanitarian supplies, including essential medical supplies, baby formula, and food for delivery to Gaza. Israeli armed forces boarded the ship and forcibly detained Ms. Reynor O’Grady and other peaceful activists. Tara was senior coordinator of the lead aid ship Alma, that had the ability to desalinate and distil water and which was responsible for refuelling the fleet, making this arguably the most critical vessel to capture and seize. She was abducted from the vessel alongside fellow voyagers from 22 countries including her friends Chief Nkosi Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela, Greta Thunberg, Omar Faris and Thiago De Ávila among others.
The circumstances of her detention escalated into a blatant violation of legal logic. After being forcibly dragged from the vessel, stress-tied for 6 hours and conveyed to Ktzi’ot prison in the Negev Desert against her will, Israeli authorities initiated legal proceedings against Ms. Reynor O’Grady on the grounds of “unlawful entry”, despite her presence in Israel being a direct and involuntary result of her abduction. She was engaged in a peaceful humanitarian mission when Israeli forces forcibly abducted her from a civilian vessel in international waters, in clear breach of the international maritime law.
“This is a textbook case of abuse of process and abuse of power. Tara’s destination was Gaza, not Israel, on a humanitarian solidarity mission,” said NPWJ Secretary-General Niccolò Figà Talamanca. “She was brought to Israel at gunpoint by the Israeli military and then charged for being there. To criminalize her for her own abduction defies any logic, and is an affront to international law and to due process.”
While we celebrate her return, our focus remains on the ongoing and deliberate humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Ms. Reynor O’Grady’s case is not an isolated incident, but one instance in a pattern of violently intercepting humanitarian aid in international waters. This directly contributes to a policy of starvation and systematic deliberate deprivation of basic necessities, calculated to inflict conditions intended to make life in Gaza unsustainable.
This must end and those responsible for these violations of international law must be held to account. While Tara’s participation in the Flotilla was undertaken in her personal capacity, her courage in standing up for human rights and her unwavering commitment to justice inspires us all. We are glad that she is home, we are proud that she is our President, and we stand ready to continue our work for peace, justice, and the protection of human rights for all people.
No peace without justice. No justice without accountability.
