US labor activist Chris Smalls was reportedly assaulted by Israeli forces after they intercepted an aid ship bound for Gaza over the weekend, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the grassroots international group behind the mission.

On Saturday night, IDF soldiers boarded the Handala, a vessel carrying food, baby formula, diapers and medicine intended for Gaza, which remains under Israel’s longstanding blockade. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which has been organising efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza since 2010, said Smalls was “choked and kicked” during the operation.

“The Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirms that upon arrival in Israeli custody, US human rights defender Chris Smalls was physically assaulted by seven uniformed individuals,” the group said in a statement. “They choked him and kicked him in the legs, leaving visible signs of violence on his neck and back.”

Smalls, who is Black, was the only person of colour onboard the ship and was reportedly treated more harshly than other passengers. “When his lawyer met with him, Chris was surrounded by six members of Israel’s special police unit,” the statement continued. “This level of force was not used against other abducted activists. We condemn this violence against Chris and demand accountability for the assault and discriminatory treatment he faced.”

Detained Alongside Activists and Journalists

Smalls was among 21 people detained by Israeli authorities during the interception, including parliamentarians, medics, engineers and two journalists. Jacob Berger, a Jewish American actor who was also aboard, said on Instagram that Smalls was “in great spirits” despite the ordeal. Berger added that the detained group was expected to be released by Tuesday or Wednesday.

The Handala’s interception follows multiple recent attempts by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to deliver aid to Gaza. A similar effort in June, which included Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, was also blocked by Israeli forces. In 2010, 10 activists were killed when Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara, another flotilla vessel.

The coalition’s mission comes amid what UN-backed experts have called a “worst-case scenario of famine” unfolding in Gaza. More than 30 prominent Israeli public figures have publicly called for “crippling sanctions” against Israel over its policies that have exacerbated starvation in the enclave.

Track Record of Activism

Smalls, 35, is best known as the co-founder and president of the Amazon Labor Union, which in 2022 achieved a historic victory by unionising Amazon’s JFK8 warehouse in Staten Island, New York — the company’s first unionised facility in the United States. His leadership in organising one of the most powerful corporations in the world made him a high-profile figure in the US labor movement.

A former Amazon employee, Smalls began organising after he was fired in 2020 for leading a protest over COVID-19 safety conditions. He has since become a symbol of worker-led activism and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2022. Speaking in past interviews about his activism, Smalls has often said he sees labor rights and human rights as deeply interconnected.

Huwaida Arraf, a Palestinian American attorney and fellow passenger on the Handala, criticised the international community for allowing Israel to continue its blockade. “We should not be waiting for Israel to give permission for food or other humanitarian aid to enter,” she said on Democracy Now on Monday. “We need to be challenging and breaking the blockade.”

Arraf said that while France, Spain and Italy contacted their citizens to offer consular services, the US government had not reached out to the seven American crew members, including Smalls, at the time of detention.

“They were legitimising Israeli piracy on the high seas,” she added, calling for governments to take stronger action to protect human rights defenders.