Bangladeshi photographer and activist Shahidul Alam, the lone Bangladeshi aboard the flotilla vessel Conscience, on Monday said that they were waiting for smaller and slower boats to join them on their way to Gaza in a bid to break the Israeli siege of the Palestinian territory.
He said that the smaller boats were gathering around their vessel Conscience, the largest one in the Global Media Flotilla, along with other boats as they were all approaching Gaza.聽
鈥榃e鈥檝e been waiting for the smaller and slower boats as we didn鈥檛 want to leave them behind. Lovely to see them all gather around 鈥淐onscience鈥� this morning,鈥� Shahidul Alam wrote in a Facebook post.
The vessel Conscience was located near Alexandria, a Mediterranean port city in Egypt, and remained static in the international waters as it was approaching Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla & Conscience Tracker showed Monday evening.
Shahidul on Sunday expressed fear that they might be arrested and then would either be deported or imprisoned as had happened to those on the Global Sumud Flotilla that was in front of them carrying humanitarian aid.
All those in front of them in the Global Sumud Flotilla were already intercepted and 鈥榓bducted鈥� by the Israeli occupation forces, he said.聽聽
鈥業t is difficult to predict what would happen to me while I will be in the hands of the Israeli forces since I have long been protesting at the Israeli aggression in Gaza,鈥� Shahidul told 抖阴精品 on Sunday.
He said that he feared detention and immediate deportation, adding 鈥楤ut I am not going to sign any undertaking as none of us has crossed international waters yet.鈥�
鈥楪iven past history, it is very unlikely that they will let us through and we are, in all probability, going to be arrested and either deported or sent to prison鈥� It is certainly not in our hands. This is where we need your help,鈥� Shahidul said in a Facebook post shared on Sunday from the Conscience vessel.
On Saturday, he wrote in a Facebook post that Conscience, the largest vessel participating in the mission, was the last to set off.
It departed on September 30, 2025 from Otranto, Italy, while eight other boats had left shortly before, he said.聽
According to a Freedom Flotilla Coalition press release issued on September 30, the launch of Conscience followed the departure of 10 boats that had set sail for Gaza on September 25 and September 27, organised jointly by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens.
The new convoy kept heading towards Gaza, while Israeli naval forces, between October 1 and 3, intercepted 42 boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and detained over 462 activists on board as they were attempting to break Israel鈥檚 siege of Gaza.
Following the Israeli interception and detention of flotilla activists, thousands of people in Bangladesh and many other countries took to the streets in protest.
