DHAKA, Bangladesh – Renowned Bangladeshi photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam returned home Saturday after enduring a harrowing detention in an Israeli prison, where he and fellow activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla faced what he described as systematic mental and physical torture. Alam's account, delivered during an emotional press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka, has reignited global outrage over Israel's interception of humanitarian missions and its ongoing blockade of Gaza, even as a fragile ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump begins to take hold.
Alam, 68, the founder and managing director of Drik Picture Library, an independent media organization based in Dhaka, was among more than 140 activists, journalists, doctors, and elected officials aboard the Conscience, the flagship vessel of the Global Sumud Flotilla organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and allied groups like Thousand Madleens to Gaza. The flotilla, comprising nine boats that departed from ports in Sicily, Italy, in late September 2025, aimed to deliver over $110,000 worth of medical supplies, respiratory equipment, nutritional aid, and other essentials to Gaza's collapsing hospitals amid a two-year humanitarian catastrophe. Carrying participants from over 44 countries—including climate activist Greta Thunberg, French MEP Rima Hassan, and Belgian politician Pierre-Yves Dermagne—the mission symbolized a historic civilian-led push against Israel's naval blockade, which has strangled Gaza since 2007.
The flotilla's journey, launched on September 27 from Catania, Sicily, was the largest of its kind, uniting grassroots initiatives under the banner of "sumud"—Arabic for steadfastness—in response to Israel's escalated military campaign since October 7, 2023. But on October 8, approximately 120 nautical miles (220 km) from Gaza's coast in international waters, Israeli naval forces from the elite Shayetet 13 unit launched a predawn assault. Drones sprayed irritants on the vessels, helicopters hovered menacingly, and commandos boarded the Conscience and others, using non-lethal force to subdue unarmed passengers. The FFC condemned the operation as a "blatant violation of international law," defying the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) binding orders for unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.
Alam, who joined as the first Bangladeshi participant in an FFC media team to document Gaza's information blackout, recounted the chaos in vivid detail. "We were hands tied behind our backs, forced to kneel in filthy cells while Israeli forces urinated on the floor around us," he said, his voice steady but eyes betraying the trauma. "They threw my passport—a symbol of my identity and Bangladesh's sovereignty—on the ground repeatedly, stomping on it like it was trash. That was the deepest cut for me." Transferred to Israel's remote Ketziot Prison in the Negev Desert, the detainees faced what Alam called "psychological warfare designed to break the spirit." Late-night raids by soldiers wielding machine guns—shouting orders, banging on doors, and simulating executions—left many in panic. One fellow activist, accused of Hamas ties, was mock-threatened with a shooting, Alam added.
Mental torture, he emphasized, was the prison's hallmark. "They isolated us, denied basic hygiene, and bombarded us with propaganda videos justifying their actions in Gaza. Physical beatings were rarer, but the fear was constant." Reports from other detainees, including Thunberg, who was deported earlier, corroborated claims of "repeated physical and mental abuse," though Israel's Foreign Ministry denied mistreatment, insisting detainees' rights were "fully upheld." The FFC reported at least a dozen injuries during the boarding, with some activists still unaccounted for as of Alam's return.
Alam's release, along with dozens of others, came swiftly thanks to diplomatic intervention by the Turkish government, which facilitated flights from Tel Aviv to Istanbul and then Dhaka via Turkish Airlines. He arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 4:45 a.m. Saturday, greeted by Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus and a crowd of supporters waving Palestinian and Bangladeshi flags. "I thank Bangladesh and Turkey for their unwavering support," Alam said upon landing. "But our fight isn't over. Gaza's people remain caged."
Bangladesh, which maintains no diplomatic ties with Israel and explicitly bans travel there via a reinstated passport clause reading "valid for all countries except Israel," views Alam's ordeal through the lens of its staunch pro-Palestine stance. In April 2025, over 100,000 protesters rallied in Dhaka against Israel's Gaza operations, a scale of solidarity unmatched in South Asia. Chief Adviser Yunus's press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, demanded the "immediate release" of remaining detainees, calling the interceptions "kidnappings by occupation forces." Rohingya photographers, whom Alam has long championed, issued a statement denouncing his detention as an attack on global advocates for the oppressed.
At the press conference, Alam turned his fire on Western media, accusing them of complicity in Gaza's suffering. "Shame on you," he declared, his words echoing across packed rooms and live streams. "Shame because you're involved in genocide, aiding and abetting it by silencing Palestinian voices. You had a chance to join this flotilla—to prove you're different—but you stayed ashore. There's still time: Join future missions, rebuild your credibility, and stand on the right side of history." His critique resonated amid accusations that outlets like CNN and BBC have underreported Gaza's death toll, estimated at 67,200 Palestinians since October 2023—mostly women and children—while overemphasizing Israeli narratives. Independent analyses, including a January 2025 Lancet study, suggest the true figure from traumatic injuries alone exceeds 70,000 by mid-2024, not accounting for disease, starvation, or indirect deaths. The UN has documented over 735 attacks on Gaza's healthcare facilities, killing 917 and injuring 1,411, rendering the enclave "largely uninhabitable."
Alam's defiance shone through as he unveiled a "blueprint" for escalation: "Before we left prison, we vowed to return—with a thousand ships. One flotilla wasn't enough; it will take a fleet to shatter this blockade." This echoes the FFC's history of resilience, from the 2010 Mavi Marmara raid that killed 10 to 2025's drone attacks on the Madleen in June and Handala in July. Supporters, including Indian author Arundhati Roy and scholar Gayatri Spivak, have signed petitions demanding the release of all detainees and an end to the siege.
The timing of Alam's return coincides with a pivotal shift: On October 8, mere hours after the flotilla's interception, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed to the first phase of his 20-point Gaza peace plan, hashed out in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The deal, hailed by Netanyahu as a "monumental step," includes an immediate ceasefire within 24 hours, the release of all 48 remaining Israeli hostages (about 20 believed alive) by Hamas within 72 hours, and Israel's exchange of 250 life-sentence Palestinian prisoners plus 1,700 detained since October 7, 2023. Humanitarian aid surges are promised, with UN distribution, and Israeli forces will partially withdraw, though details on territorial control remain murky—Israeli media suggest retention of over half of Gaza initially.
Trump, crediting Arab mediators like Egypt and Qatar, plans to travel to Egypt for a formal signing, calling it a path to "lasting peace." Hamas's Khalil al-Hayya declared the two-year war "over," with Rafah Crossing opening bidirectionally. Yet skeptics, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres, warn of "high stakes," citing past failures like the November 2023 and January 2025 truces. The plan's "day after" provisions—Hamas disarmament, exile for leaders, and a technocratic Palestinian government—face resistance, with Hamas rejecting amnesty terms.
For Alam, the ceasefire offers a glimmer but no absolution. "This deal is a bandage on a gaping wound," he said. "Israel's blockade persists; aid trickles while children starve—over 20,000 killed, per Gaza's Health Ministry. We've lost journalists, doctors, entire families. The world must demand full withdrawal, not phased illusions." He invoked Bangladesh's own 1971 liberation struggle, drawing parallels to Gaza's "genocidal war," a term endorsed by UN experts in September 2025.
Alam's return has galvanized Dhaka. Pro-Palestine rallies swelled outside the press club, with students from Dhaka University chanting "Free Palestine" and "Justice for Shahidul." Drik announced a photo exhibition of Alam's flotilla images—smuggled out via fellow detainees—to fund future missions. Globally, the FFC vows more sails, undeterred by Israel's "futile" interceptions, as one spokesperson quipped.
As Palestinians in Khan Younis celebrated the ceasefire with cautious embraces, and Tel Aviv's Hostage Square erupted in cheers, Alam ended his conference with a quiet resolve: "We sailed for humanity's conscience. We'll sail again—until Gaza breathes free." His words, broadcast to millions, underscore a truth etched in Gaza's ruins: Peace demands not just ink on paper, but unyielding action against injustice.
In Bangladesh, where Islamists and secularists unite on Palestine, Alam's story bridges divides. "He's our mirror," said a young protester. "What Israel did to him, they do daily in Gaza." With over 67,000 dead, 90% of Gaza's 2.3 million displaced, and infrastructure—hospitals bombed, water systems shattered—in tatters, the flotilla's failure is Gaza's enduring nightmare. Yet Alam's blueprint—a thousand ships—signals defiance. As Trump jets to Egypt, the world watches: Will this phase heal, or merely pause the hemorrhage?
