In this edition, we look back at the past year for human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian territories, and at the conditions in which they continue their work.
A year has passed since the ceasefire in Gaza began, but it is a ceasefire that does not protect. At the UN Security Council this month, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator reported that Israeli military operations have killed around 1,500 Palestinians since the truce began in October 2025, including over 320 children. Families remain displaced, living without enough water, sanitation or light. Speakers also warned that the E1 settlement plan risks cutting Palestinian territory in two, and called for unrestricted aid into Gaza and for the protection of UNRWA.
On 14 May, the Global Sumud Flotilla left Türkiye with 54 civilian vessels. On board were human rights defenders, medical staff, journalists and volunteers, all hoping to open a humanitarian corridor. On 18 May, Israeli forces intercepted the fleet in international waters, around 250 nautical miles from Gaza, and detained the crews. It was not the first time. On 30 April, around 175 activists were stopped near Crete. Several of them reported violence and ill-treatment in detention, and two were held incommunicado for two days before being deported. Front Line Defenders called for the immediate release of all those detained and for the EU and its member states to act.
It has been thirteen months since the United States sanctioned Al-Haq, Al-Mezan and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights for supporting the International Criminal Court’s work. These organisations spent years documenting violations that now form part of the evidence before international courts. Today they struggle with frozen banking, lost funding, unpaid staff and vanished partners. Recorded testimonies have even disappeared from YouTube. ProtectDefenders.eu consortium member Front Line Defenders is calling for the sanctions to be lifted, and for the EU to act, including by activating the Blocking Statute.
Against this backdrop, the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize has gone to Navi Pillay, the South African lawyer who defended Nelson Mandela, helped establish that rape can be an act of genocide, and served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. She also chaired the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which concluded in September 2025 that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. As FIDH put it, the award is a reminder that justice is essential to peace, and that those who defend it must be protected.
Palestinian defenders keep documenting, supporting victims and pursuing accountability, often at great personal cost. We stand with them.
