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Korean activist freed from Israeli prison urges more attention to Gaza Strip

Published: 13 Oct. 2025, 17:05

Kim Ah-hyun, a Korean activist who was detained by Israel while approaching the Gaza Strip via a flotilla [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Kim Ah-hyun, a Korean activist released from Israeli detention after boarding an aid flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip, expressed her gratitude to the Korean government and people in a phone call with Yonhap News Agency on Monday and asked for more attention to be paid to the Palestinian territory.

Kim, 27, was among scores of humanitarian activists aboard an aid ship that was intercepted by Israeli forces last Wednesday while carrying medical supplies and other humanitarian goods bound for the Gaza Strip. She was freed from custody Friday after agreeing to voluntary deportation and is now staying in France.

"Thanks to the efforts of the [Korean] government and the people, I was able to be released quickly, and I'm very grateful for that," Kim said in the phone call, asking for their attention on the Gaza Strip.

"I know many people were very concerned, but I only hope they will remember that Palestinians live in a more dangerous situation."

She then recalled the tense moments when the aid ship was seized by Israeli soldiers and the harsh conditions of Ketziot Prison, where she was detained for two days.

"They tied up the wrists of the people, blindfolded them and dragged them away violently. The sounds of people who resisted being beaten could also be heard," Kim recalled.

She described Ketziot Prison as a "filthy and foul-smelling place." The prison located in a desert in southern Israel has been known to hold Palestinian terrorists.

"I remember [the cell] was about the size of seven small cots. There was only one bathroom, and no soap or toilet paper was provided. They didn't give us drinking water until the end and told us to drink from the tap."

Kim said she once had to be naked for a body search and one person she was with had been in that situation three times.

She claimed that Israel's seizure and detention of the relief vessel was illegal because the area the ship was sailing in was international waters and the Gaza Strip is Palestinian land.

"It is completely illegal to label us terrorists and detain us in a terrorist prison, even though we said we were there to provide humanitarian relief," Kim said.

She said she risked her life because of the fact that the dangerous situation persists in Palestine and that people continue to live in that place. "Although cease-fire talks are underway, the problem in Gaza remains unresolved. I would like to ask you all to pay attention until the end."

Yonhap