At the fag end of the Gaza War, the photographer and activist Shahidul Alam became the first person from Bangladesh to join The Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens to Gaza. It was the largest flotilla formed to break Israel's naval blockade of the occupied Gaza Strip, where Palestinians have been suffering under genocide and famine. Alam represented the Bangladeshi media's solidarity with Palestine as part of the 'Media Flotilla' which aimed to challenge the information blackout on Gaza. Alam was detained and later released by Israel hours before a peace agreement was partially agreed between Hamas and Tel Aviv.

During the voyage aboard the ship known as Conscience, Alam said he represented "all of Bangladesh" as the world's eighth most populous country, in expressing solidarity with Palestine. The ship departed from the Italian port of Otranto on 30 September. The Conscience (known in Arabic as Al-Dhamir) was designated for international doctors and journalists. Other ships carried activists and lawmakers, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela's grandson and legislators from the European Parliament, Pakistan, Malaysia, Spain, Italy and other countries. The flotilla came to be known as the 'Sumud' which in Arabic translates as resilience and steadfastness.

A joint statement from the foreign ministers of 16 countries, including Qatar, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Ireland, Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, Pakistan, Oman, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey, warned "that any violation of international law and human rights of the participants in the Flotilla, including attacks against the vessels in international waters or illegal detention, will lead to accountability". Israeli forces stopped and intercepted the flotilla on 8 October, arresting Shahidul Alam along with 140 activists. Among those detained included a member of parliament from Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami.

As he was being detained by Israeli forces, Alam released a pre-recorded message, stating "I am Shahidul Alam, a photographer and writer from Bangladesh. If you are seeing this video, we have been intercepted at sea and I have been kidnapped by the Occupation Forces of Israel, the country conducting genocide in Gaza with active collaboration and assistance of the USA and other western powers". He appealed to "comrades and friends" to fight for a free Palestine.

Alam was held in Israeli detention for two days. The detained activists were subjected to dehumanizing treatment. According to Alam, "When we got off the ship, we were taken with our hands tied behind our backs and we were made to kneel down in a cell where the Israeli force members just urinated", adding that "The worst thing for me was that they took my passport and threw it on the ground repeatedly." Alam was later released and flown to Turkey.

As Bangladesh does not recognize Israel, Shahidul Alam may be considered as a hostage held illegally and unlawfully by Israel during his detention. The Bangladeshi government urged friendly Middle Eastern countries to get Alam released from Israeli custody. Qatar, Egypt and Turkey played a key role in talks to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.

The delivery of international aid to Gaza is supported by the Geneva Conventions. Israel has brazenly violated the principles of international humanitarian law by obstructing the delivery of life-saving aid for the Palestinian people in Gaza. Israel's naval blockade constitutes a serious impediment to the delivery of international aid. Moreover, Israel's inhuman treatment of flotilla activists has been described by experts as a violation of the UN Convention against Torture.

News of Alam's release from captivity was overshadowed by the American-brokered peace plan for Gaza. Donald Trump flew to Sharm-al Sheikh in Egypt where he presided over a conference of 20 countries that support the rebuilding of Gaza. Trump's peace plan envisages the opening of routes to deliver international aid to Gaza.

Umran Chowdhury is Assistant Editor of the Dhaka Courier and a Research Associate at the Cosmos Foundation and Bay of Bengal Institute.