As the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) prepares to sail from ports across the Mediterranean towards Gaza, an international coalition of lawyers is mobilising to shield the activists amid Israeli attacks. 

A fleet of vessels carrying activists from across the globe, the GSF aims to deliver essential supplies to Gaza, where Israel’s blockade has exacerbated a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented intensity.

According to Nasir Qadri, an Istanbul-based lawyer linked to the Worldwide Lawyers Association (WOLAS), a broad coalition of more than 50 lawyers across various jurisdictions has taken on the challenge of fighting a potential legal battle against Israel that could test the limits of international law.

“It’s not just WOLAS… there’s an international legal team helping the sailing participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla,” he tells TRT World.

The flotilla’s mission is both symbolic and practical: to challenge what is widely described as Israel’s weaponisation of hunger against Palestinians.

Israel has bombed Gaza nonstop for two years, killing nearly 65,000 Palestinians and inducing a famine in the besieged conclave of 2.3 million people. 

Israel has a history of intercepting such flotillas, sometimes with deadly force, as seen in the 2010 Mavi Marmara case, where Israeli forces killed 10 activists. 

Now, with two recent attacks in Tunisian waters raising alarms, the legal team remains on high alert, says Qadri.

Under the global coalition of legal experts, lawyers say their mandate is clear: protect the flotilla participants, monitor compliance with international humanitarian law, and prepare for legal action if violations occur.

On September 9, a Portuguese-flagged boat carrying six passengers was struck by what Qadri describes as “clear explosive material” close to its fuel tank.

“Why would someone drop an explosive near the tank?” he says, suggesting that the attack was deliberate.

Another explosion on September 10, which Qadri suspects was caused by an “incendiary grenade wrapped in plastic and dipped in fuel”, further escalated concerns.

While Tunisian authorities have denied that the first incident involved an Israeli drone, Qadri and his team seem to believe otherwise. 

The onus for anything bad happening to the sailing participants will be on the Israeli government because it has already issued a clear threat, he says.

The Tunisian authorities are still investigating the second attack. 

These attacks, Qadri insists, are part of a pattern. 

He points to Israel’s history of operations in Tunisia, starting from 1985 when it killed 68 Palestinians. 

“The explosions amount to an act of war,” he says. 

The Portuguese-flagged vessel came under attack in the jurisdiction of Tunisia, which is a signatory to the Rome Statute, a treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Under the Rome Statute, the ICC can investigate and prosecute the four core international crimes – genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression – in situations where states are either unable or unwilling to do so themselves.

In simpler terms, this legal framework may enable Tunisia to initiate criminal proceedings against Israel at the ICC. 

WOLAS, alongside the broader legal team, is closely monitoring the situation and preparing to file submissions for accountability if needed, Qadri says.

“We will pursue legal remedies accordingly,” he says. “This would be a criminal case against the apartheid Israeli regime.”

An example for ‘complicit states’ 

Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza since 2007 has consistently thwarted humanitarian missions. Past flotillas have faced unlawful detentions, seizures, and violence.

Qadri’s team is engaged on multiple fronts, from real-time communication with different governments to drafting legal documentation for the ICC or domestic courts. 

“We’re writing to states, notifying them of their obligations,” he says.

WOLAS is also keeping detailed records of all flotilla participants and maintaining contact with their families, anticipating the possibility of detentions or worse.

Despite grave risks, the activists’ morale remains high, according to Qadri, who has been in contact with those on board. He describes them as a diverse group united by a common purpose.

“They come from different religious and ethnic backgrounds, but they share one objective: to take humanitarian aid to Gaza,” he says. 

“Their defiance is praiseworthy.”

Qadri and his colleagues are not only defending the activists on the flotilla but also challenging the broader impunity that Israel seems to enjoy around the world.

By invoking international law, from the Rome Statute to humanitarian conventions, the international coalition of lawyers aims to establish a legal shield for activists and a mechanism for accountability.

“These activists are setting an example,” he says. “They’re showing that when states fail, individuals can act.”