The Rt Hon. Sir Keir Starmer MP

Prime Minister

10 Downing Street

London SW1A 2AA

6 October 2025

Dear Prime Minister

We are writing to demand your immediate intervention to establish the whereabouts and safety of British nationals abducted by Israeli forces last week while attempting to break the siege of Gaza as part of the Sumud freedom flotilla.

Several UK citizens were seized by Israeli soldiers after they stormed the vessels in international waters last week. Along with dozens of other activists who include Greta Thunberg, they were arrested and taken into custody.

Multiple reports have emerged from those arrested and later released that they were subjected to violent beatings, verbal abuse and in some cases also deprived of medicine, food and water. Some activists have reported having their passports confiscated.

Families of the UK activists, who include the journalist and politician Yvonne Ridley, have not heard anything of their loved ones for several days and seem to be getting little support from government officials.

We are aghast that your government should stand idly by and watch British citizens being mistreated in this way, hiding behind hollow expressions of “concern”. It is a dereliction of your fundamental duty to protect British citizens that you cannot do more than pay lip service to their safety, let alone uphold international law.

We demand that you condemn this act of international piracy by Israel in the strongest possible terms, warn against further maltreatment of British citizens, and demand the immediate release and return of all British activists on pain of sanctions against Tel Aviv.

Yours sincerely,

Massoud Shadjareh

Chair, Islamic Human Rights Commission