Published on 6/24/2026
Italy confirmed on Wednesday the release of three of its citizens who were detained in Libya after joining a humanitarian mission to the Gaza Strip, in detention that the mission’s organizers described as “illegal.”
The three were among 230 activists from around the world participating in a land convoy to transport medicines, mobile homes, and other supplies to the war-torn sector, according to the “Global Resilience Fleet.”
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Israel’s treatment of activists who tried to break the siege it imposed on Gaza sparked international condemnation.
The Global Resilience Fleet stated that the three Italians arrived in Tunisia accompanied by a Tunisian man who was also detained.
The organization wrote on X that “six more activists are expected to be released within the next 24 hours” after 30 days of “unlawful detention.”
She noted that the volunteers “were subjected to arbitrary detention, isolated from the outside world, and communications were cut off from them, and were subjected to continuous psychological pressure.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Taiani revealed the names of his released citizens: Domenico Centrone, Leonarda Alberezia, and the Uruguayan-born Italian citizen, Matias Alvarez Rodriguez.
These developments come in the context of increasing restrictions on activists trying to break the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip. On May 18, Israel detained more than 430 activists from different countries after they were intercepted in international waters while trying to break the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip, in a move that sparked widespread condemnation and criticism.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked additional anger by publishing a video clip showing the activists kneeling with their hands tied after they were arrested at sea.
