Hundreds of activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), including Hasnain Jafer – KCLSU’s Vice President Education (Health) – were deported from Israel on Thursday, 21 May following international backlash and protests.
The 428 detainees were released from Israeli facilities and flown on flights sponsored by the Turkish government out of the country, with Jafer arriving in Istanbul at approximately 6pm BST.
Jafer was among hundreds of activists on board the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) – an aid-carrying convoy attempting to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip – when they were halted and detained in a daytime raid by Israeli forces on 18 May.
Jafer spoke tearfully to the press upon arrival in Türkiye, stating that the betrayal he feels from his government “goes beyond every single level”. He called on viewers to “forget what has happened to us [the GSF activists]” and instead focus on Palestinian prisoners who “continue to suffer every single day for the past 78 years”. He further urged “every single person to stand up” against “the ludicrous and disgusting oppression.”
The treatment of the GSF detainees garnered international attention after Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s Minister of National Security, published a video taunting activists with their hands zip-tied behind their backs and kneeling on the ground.
Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right party Otzma Yehudit who was last year sanctioned by the United Kingdom for repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, was seen in the video taunting activists and exclaiming, “welcome to Israel, we are the landlords” and asking the Israeli prime minister to send them “to the terrorist prisons”.
A female detainee was also seen shouting “Free Palestine” before being pushed to the ground by security.
The footage provoked sharp backlash domestically and globally. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the scenes as “not in line with Israel’s values and norms”, and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said that the treatment of the activists “violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity.”
Several activists arriving at Istanbul Airport alleged violence and torture during their time in Israeli detention. Prominent Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila claimed that Israeli forces “beat me until I lost consciousness” and that everyone was “subjected to severe violations”.
American activist Alex Colston claimed that in one of the prison boats, around “35 people suffered fractures of their ribs”. Colston revealed that he was kept in cuffs, where he can no longer feel his hands and was kicked in the ribs “multiple times.”
The Israel Prison Service rejected the allegations and described them as false.
Protests in support of Jafer and the activists and condemning the responses of King’s College London and KCLSU to the detention continued on 21 May, with a demonstration led by KCL Stands 4 Justice marching from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on Whitehall to KCL’s Strand Campus in the afternoon.
A KCLSU spokesperson told Roar that they “are relieved to hear of Hasnain’s release, and remain focused on his safety and wellbeing.
“Together with King’s College London, we have been in contact with the FCDO this week, and will continue to offer appropriate support to ensure his safe return to the UK”.
Speaking to Roar, an anonymous protester said that they were “abhorred to see that Hasnain Jafer had been illegally kidnapped… and held hostage” – a characterisation Israel disputes.
A letter of solidarity in support of Jafer, signed by 51 student union officers from British universities, was also published, calling on KCLSU to “support their elected officer and commit to no retaliation in the light of his absence from campus.”
On 22 May, an ‘emergency student picket’ gathered outside Bush House to “call out KCLSU” over their response to Jafer’s detention, claiming that they have seen “nothing in recognition” of his service as a student officer.
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