Describing his ordeal during detention and imprisonment in Israel by the IDF, noted photographer and activist Shahidul Alam has described the mental torture and intimidation he had to endure after the flotilla he was part of was intercepted at sea
Speaking at a press conference at the DrikPath Bhaban in Panthapath, having returned to Dhaka early Saturday after being released from an Israeli prison being flown to Turkey, from where the Bangladesh government was able to oversee his return. Shahidul said Israeli forces subjected him and his fellow arrestees on the flotilla to mental abuse, threats, and humiliation while in custody.
The flotilla was just the latest initiative to try and break through the Israeli blockade of Gaza, that extends across land, sea and air.
“We were mostly subjected to mental torture,” Shahidul said. “Inside the prison, they tried to terrify us. One of our fellow detainees was even threatened with being shot dead for allegedly being a Hamas supporter.”
He recounted that after being detained and taken off the ship, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) forced them to kneel with their hands tied behind their backs.
"We were given only one plate of food,” he said, adding that the conditions inside were deplorable, with metal beds and unhygienic toilets.
“Late at night, Israeli soldiers would storm into our cell with machine guns, shouting orders and making loud noises just to terrify us,” he said.
Shahidul emphasized that the ordeal left a deep mark on all detainees, calling it a violation of human rights and a reminder of the inhuman conditions faced by many under detention worldwide.
He also said while their hands were tied behind their backs, they were forced to kneel in a place where Israeli forces had previously urinated.
At one stage, IDF soldiers threw down his Bangladeshi passport. Every time he tried to pick it up, they attacked him. He also recounted that when two of his fellow arrestees tried to talk to each other, the soldiers struck them with the barrels of their machine guns.
'Our work is not over yet,’ says Shahidul Alam upon returning home
Shahidul said his journey was not his alone, but one he shared with the people of Bangladesh.
“I went there, but in truth, I took all of you with me,” he said at the press conference, expressing deep gratitude for the overwhelming support he received.
“The way you have supported and shown love was extraordinary. Through this response, Bangladesh has shown the whole world the kind of role we can play,” he said.
Addressing the interim government, Shahidul praised Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus for his firm and vocal stance on the issue of Palestine.
“Our Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus responded strongly and played a powerful role, which was remarkable especially when many leaders of powerful nations chose to remain silent,” he noted.
Speaking to the international media, Shahidul issued a strong rebuke, saying, “This message is for the international media — shame on you. Shame on you because you are complicit in genocide. Shame on you for aiding and abetting it and shame on you for not joining this Gaza-bound flotilla, which was an opportunity to prove you stand differently."
However, future flotillas still offer them a chance at redemption, he said, as well as "to stand on the right side of history.”
Shahidul Alam embarked on the daring journey from Dhaka on September 28, 2025. Two days later, on September 30, he boarded the Conscience, a vessel organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) from Italy, along with nearly 100 participants bound for Gaza.
On October 8, Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea. The detained activists were taken to Ashdod Port and later imprisoned at Israel’s Ketziot Prison.
Following diplomatic efforts by the Bangladesh government, Shahidul was released and repatriated via Turkey, arriving in Dhaka early Saturday morning.