Metro Detroit attorney returns home after detained by Israeli forces during Gaza aid mission
A Metro Detroit attorney and longtime human rights advocate is back home after being detained by Israeli forces during a humanitarian mission to Gaza. Despite the ordeal, Huwaida Arraf says her fight is far from over, and she plans to return.
Huwaida Arraf, of Macomb Township, arrived Thursday at the Detroit Metro Airport, where a group of supporters and loved ones welcomed her. It was her first public appearance since her release, and she spoke candidly about what she described as a harrowing and unjust experience.
"The Palestinian struggle is not a struggle to get food. It's not a charity case," Arraf said. "Palestinians are systematically denied their freedom, and what we need to hear from our representatives is that they support Palestinian liberation."
Arraf was part of a nine-boat flotilla carrying over 33,000 pounds of humanitarian aid bound for Gaza. The group of 91 civilians included journalists and more than 20 international doctors and healthcare workers — all seeking to support those trapped in the conflict zone.
The flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on Oct. 8th. Arraf claims she was violently detained, held for five days, and ultimately released under a ceasefire agreement.
"They cuffed us, verbally and physically abused us," she said. "They threw away our belongings, laughed, called us terrorists, and they do it because there's no system in place to hold Israel accountable for these actions."
Arraf says the mission was not just about delivering supplies, but also about bearing witness and providing access to journalists and medics who have been largely blocked from entering Gaza.
"We were sailing with journalists, like the ones we have here, who've been denied access to Gaza, and doctors trying to help their exhausted colleagues," she said. "These healthcare workers are not only struggling to survive what I believe is genocide, but they're also being deliberately targeted for doing their jobs."
Despite the trauma, both physical and emotional, Arraf says she remains undeterred.
"This is not a time to let up our advocacy. In fact, it's a time to double down," she said. "We need to be extra vigilant, continue to raise our voices because our voices are making a difference."