French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan Begins Hunger Strike in Israeli Prison
Leaked Letters from Detained “Maddalena” Activists Reveal Israeli Mistreatment, Calls for Sanctions.
Watan-French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament, Rima Hassan, has announced the start of a hunger strike. Her official account on X (formerly Twitter) also shared leaked messages from fellow activists detained aboard the “Maddalena” ship, currently imprisoned in several Israeli jails.
The messages, originating from various prisons in the Ramla area (northwest of Jerusalem), confirm—according to Hassan—that she began a hunger strike to protest her solitary confinement after she wrote “Free Palestine” on her cell wall. She becomes the second activist from the group to do so, following Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila.
Motasem Zaidan, media spokesperson for the Adalah Legal Center, previously told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that Israeli authorities transferred Hassan to a “very dirty and small isolation cell in Neve Tirza prison (a women’s facility)” after the incident, before relocating her again to Givon Prison.
Leaked Letters from Freedom Flotilla Activists Condemn Israeli “Piracy” and Urge EU Sanctions
Ávila was reportedly moved to Ayalon Prison and also placed in solitary confinement for continuing his hunger and water strike, which he started two days earlier in protest of the Israeli seizure of the Freedom Flotilla ship Maddalena.
In a leaked letter, French activist and journalist Yanis Mohamedi wrote: “Journalism is not a crime.”
Another French detainee, Pascal Mauréras, said in his message:“Greetings from Israeli prisons! We were intercepted aboard the Maddalena 110 nautical miles from Gaza’s coast, well within international waters. This is an act of piracy. But we’re used to dealing with a rogue state.”
🚨 Messages from Rima and other members of the Freedom Flotilla crew.#FreedomFlotilla #FreeMadleen pic.twitter.com/4Wy9eii972
— Rima Hassan (@RimaHas) June 11, 2025
He added:“Our European governments must urgently impose tangible sanctions on Israel: end arms sales, suspend diplomatic ties, recognize the State of Palestine, and enact a full economic and cultural boycott.”
Dutch activist Marco van Reenis wrote:“The world’s governments failed to ensure safe passage for the Maddalena and allow humanitarian aid to reach Gaza’s people, who have faced 80 years of ethnic cleansing and 18 years of illegal blockade.”
“To prevent another Israeli war crime, they must act now: oppose Israel’s apartheid system and guarantee safe passage for the ‘Caravan of Steadfastness’ through Egypt. The time for action is now.”
According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Adalah Center, Israel is expected to deport the French activists and Turkish national Şuayip Ordu between Thursday and Friday.
