A MEMBER of the Maritime Union of Australia who sailed on board the Sumud Peace Flotilla is understood to be receiving consular assistance after his detention by Israeli authorities.
The flotilla sought to bring desperately needed supplies to Gaza but was intercepted around 38 nautical miles or 70km from the coast.
On board the ships were more than 400 volunteers, prominent among them the Swedish activist Gretha Thunberg.
Seven Australians sailed onboard the vessels Mia Mia, The Spectre and Wahoo, among them the Queensland MUA member Hamish Paterson.
In a statement, Maritime Union of Australia national secretary Paddy Crumlin said the union “and all its members stand together in demanding the immediate release of our comrade, MUA member Hamish Paterson, and all others illegally detained by the Israeli military from the Sumud Flotilla”.
“The Sumud Peace Flotilla is a peaceful mission of trade unionists, humanitarians and aid workers delivering vital assistance to Gaza,” Mr Crumlin said.
“Their ‘crime’ is non-violence, solidarity, compassion. Their detention is a violation of fundamental human rights and international law.”
In a Facebook video post from 1 October, Mr Paterson spoke of an “ending up in dead or in jail scenario for us at the moment” but indicated he was comfortable in his mind he was doing the right thing.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) said they were “providing consular assistance to seven Australians detained in Israel, including in-person visits”.
“The Australian government has made clear to Israel our expectation that detainees will receive humane treatment in line with international norms,” the spokesperson said.
“We understand that people want to help deliver aid to those suffering in Gaza - we also want to see critical aid delivered.
“For some time, we have warned against attempts to breach the naval blockade and strongly advised Australians not to do so because of the risks to their safety.
“We repeat our call on Israel to enable the sustained, unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
The Israeli foreign ministry was earlier quoted by SBS saying its navy had reached out to the flotilla to warn it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful blockade and asked them to change course.