Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced Tuesday that two Italian pro-Palestinian campaigners who had been held in Libya were released after spending approximately one month in detention.
The activists were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla movement, which has been working to deliver humanitarian aid supplies to the Gaza Strip. Last month, Israeli forces arrested hundreds of people aboard dozens of ships in international waters in an effort to stop Flotilla volunteers from reaching Gaza.
The two Italians held in Libya, however, were part of a different group of Flotilla participants who had attempted to reach the Palestinian territory by land rather than by sea.
In a post on the social media platform X, Tajani confirmed that the two Italians had been transferred to Italy’s consul in Benghazi. A Uruguayan citizen who also holds Italian citizenship was released alongside them.
The Global Sumud Flotilla had previously reported that the detained activists launched a hunger strike to protest both their imprisonment and what they described as mistreatment while in custody.
Tajani said all three individuals were scheduled to travel back to Italy on Wednesday.
