Kidnapped on the Global Sumud Flotilla
ISBN-13: 9781997742449
Contributor(s): Fra Hughes
Subject: Autobiography: General
Publisher Imprint: Daraja Press
Publication Date: 15-07-2026
Format: Paperback
Availability: Out of stock
£16.99
About the book
This memoir chronicles Irish activist Fra Hughes's lifelong solidarity with Palestine, culminating in his 2025-2026 participation in the Global Sumud Flotilla to break Israel's siege on Gaza. Hughes begins with his childhood in sectarian North Belfast during the Troubles, drawing parallels between Ireland's colonial struggle and Palestine's occupation. After witnessing Israel's 2008 2009 Operation Cast Lead, he co-founded Palestine Aid and joined two land convoys to Gaza (2010, 2014). The narrative follows three major actions: the Global March to Gaza (June 2025), where Hughes and hundreds of activists were detained and violently removed by Egyptian security at Ismailia; the Brussels EU trade deal protests (July 2025), where protesters faced arrest; and the Global Sumud Flotilla (August-October 2025 and April-May 2026). Aboard the SS Alma, Hughes spent 28 days at sea. The flotilla endured drone firebomb attacks in Tunisian waters (including on the Alma and Family), followed by explosive and chemical attacks near Crete. During the April 2026 voyage, 22 boats were boarded in international waters. Hughes was kidnapped, zip-tied, strip-searched multiple times, sexually violated during searches, and imprisoned at Israel's Ketziot prison. He refused food and medicine in solidarity with Gaza's starvation, was denied insulin for his diabetes, and endured stress positions, dog threats, and forced kneeling. Released after 72 hours and deported via Ramon Airport, Hughes concludes that his brief captivity offers only a fraction of the daily horrors endured by thousands of Palestinian prisoners - including over 400 children - in Israel's detention system.