One Month Later- Free The Tunisian 7
On March 6th, 2026, an arrest campaign was started that shook the pro-Palestinian landscape in Tunisia. Seven activists, some of whom put their own bodies on the line for the possibility of breaking the illegal siege on Gaza, were arrested and sent to prison on what appear to be unfounded charges. Let’s say their names:
• Jawaher Channa
• Wael Nawar – Member of the Global Steering Committee
• Ghassan Henchiri
• Ghassan Boughediri
• Sana Msahli
• Dr. Mohamed Amine Ben Nour
• Nabil Chennoufi – Member of the Global Steering Committee
Each of these 7 activists have played a vital role in the unprecedented GSF mission that was launched from Sidi Bou Said Port, Tunisia in September of 2025, an act that is protected under international law. Their mission was simply to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged people of Gaza and to establish a humanitarian corridor.
Wael Nawar, Nabil Chennoufi, and Ghassan Henrichi sailed aboard the Mali (Deir Yassine), fully aware they were risking their lives at the hands of israeli occupation forces. In 2010, ten activists aboard the Mavi Marmara were killed by the IOF on a similar mission to break the siege on Gaza. The possibility of such a tragedy being repeated was, and remains, very real, particularly as israel’s public relations apparatus launched a misinformation campaign targeting three members of the Global Sumud Flotilla—Wael Nawar, Ghassan Henchiri (both aboard the same vessel), and Thiago Ávila—explicitly labelling them as terrorists. israel circulated images, articles, and infographics purporting to expose direct links between the activists and Hamas, effectively laying the groundwork to justify a potential IOF attack on the flotilla.
Even with the life-threatening risks involved, all 7 of the Tunisian activists have continued to ensure Palestinian voices are heard by the Tunisian public. The baseless charges and the smear campaign against these seven brave activists range from money laundering, to establishing international thieving schemes. So in case someone wants to make a judgement call about any of them based on the smear campaigns that have been launched by the Zionist propaganda machine, let’s get to know them a little bit more.
Jawaher Channa
A communist activist, feminist, and university researcher in gender studies, she has been engaged in political struggle since an early age. Her path began within the student movement, where she was active in a youth faction affiliated with a then-banned leftist party and in the General Union of Tunisian Students. Jawaher quickly emerged as a committed organizer. Her activism led to repeated legal proceedings, as well as multiple arrests and instances of torture, most notably during the Tunisian Revolution, where she was a visible student figure and was injured during the Kasbah sit-in.
Deeply involved in international solidarity work, she is a member of the Joint Action Coordination for Palestine. She is also a founding member of the Carrefour Boycott Campaign and the “Steadfastness Convoy,” a land initiative aimed at breaking the siege on Gaza, and serves on the Steering Committee of the Global and Maghreb Sumud Flotilla.
Wael Nawar
Wael became politically active at a young age through the student movement. His activism within the General Union of Tunisian Students led to his expulsion from the Higher School of Commerce in Sfax, after which he continued his studies at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Sousse. There, he rose to prominence and served as Secretary General of the “Naji Al-Ali” Federal Bureau. His activism came at a cost: he was imprisoned and subjected to torture under the former regime, and only released following the fall of Ben Ali.
A central figure in student and political organizing, he played an active role in several uprisings that were the precursors to the Tunisian revolution in 2010. After the revolution, he remained at the forefront of mobilization, notably during the Kasbah sit-ins, and continued to lead within the student movement, eventually becoming Secretary General of the General Union of Tunisian Students. He has also contributed to founding several leftist political groups and remains deeply engaged in international solidarity work, including participation in the Global Sumud Flotilla aboard the “Deir Yassine,” and as a founding member of the “Sumud Land Convoy” and a member of the Steering Committee of the Global and Maghreb Sumud Flotilla.
Ghassan Henchiri
Ghassan Henchiri is a political activist with a long history of student and youth organizing. Since 2008, he has been active in the student organization “Al-Watad” and within the National Democratic Progressive Movement, later helping to found the National Democratic Youth Organization “Kifah” in 2013. He was elected to the Executive Committee in 2017, where he strengthened youth engagement and expanded the organization’s political presence. In 2020, he joined the Political Bureau of the National Democratic Socialist Party, emerging as a key young leader focused on renewing and energizing the party’s leadership.
Henchiri is also a prominent figure in solidarity work for Palestine in Tunisia. He helped launch and organize grassroots initiatives, coordinated field actions such as sit-ins and marches, and participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla in 2025.
Ghassan Al-Boughdiri
Ghassan Boughdiri, an engineer and committed activist, has been involved in political and social movements since he was young. He joined several activist groups including the “Wrong Generation” movement, where he emerged as a founding leader and critic of the post-revolution political establishment.
A prominent supporter of the Palestinian cause, he has led campaigns ranging from the Carrefour boycott to the anti-normalization movement, culminating in the “Sumud Land Convoy” to break the siege on Gaza. He has also served on the Steering Committee of the Global Sumud Flotilla and contributed to cultural initiatives like the Amateur Film Festival in Béja. His commitment to justice has come at a personal cost: on March 19, 2026, he was physically and psychologically assaulted by a prison guard in Mornaguia Prison, highlighting the ongoing risks faced by activists in Tunisia.
Sanaa Mahidli Masahli
Sanaa Mahidli Masahli, a Nasserist and Pan-Arab unificationist activist with a master’s degree in English, has been engaged in political and social activism since her school years. She rose through the student movement as part of the progressive “Nationalist Students” faction and was active in the General Union of Tunisian Students at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Sousse. She played a key role in supporting the early uprisings in working class neighbourhoods that led to her participation in the Tunisian Revolution.
Her activism has continued in popular movements advocating for dignity, freedom, and social justice. She is a member of the Coordination Committee for Joint Action for Palestine, a founding member of the “Sumud Land Convoy” to break the siege on Gaza, and serves on the steering committee of the Maghreb Sumud Flotilla.
Dr. Mohamed Amine Bennour
Dr. Mohamed Amine Bennour is an Associate Professor of Medicine, specializing in orthopedic surgery, fractures, and trauma, and serves as Head of the Orthopedic Surgery Department at Bizerte Hospital, Tunisia, while lecturing at the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis. He has participated in multiple medical missions to Gaza, including as part of the Tunisian delegation (2012–2013) and the international PalMed mission in coordination with the WHO (2024–2025), performing 450 specialized surgeries during the latter.
A founding member of “Volunteer Doctors for Gaza,” Dr. Bennour has chaired the medical committee of both the Sumud Convoy and Flotilla, overseeing participants’ health and safety and supervising all medical operations. He continues to serve on the steering committees of both initiatives, contributing his expertise to humanitarian and solidarity efforts.
Nabil Chennoufi
Nabil Chennoufi is a Tunisian engineer specializing in food processing and agriculture. He is known for combining scientific expertise with deep engagement in civil and volunteer work, representing a model of a Tunisian youth blending professional competence with social and humanitarian commitment.
Nabil Chennoufi is a longtime activist and staunch defender of Palestinian rights, having organized and led numerous movements in Tunisia both before and after October 7, 2023. He played a central role in launching the Sumud Convoy to break the siege on Gaza and was an organizer of the Sumud Flotilla in 2025. He serves on the steering committees of both the Maghreb and Global Sumud Flotillas and is a former prisoner in israeli detention.
Beyond his advocacy for Palestine, Chennoufi has been deeply engaged in civil society and youth development since childhood, including leadership in scouting as a troop leader in Bab Souika and organizer of major regional scouting activities in Tunis. He founded and manages children’s chess, history, and science clubs, organizes environmental and awareness campaigns.
The Tunisian 7 have been stripped of their freedom, targeted not for what they’ve done, but for what they represent.
It’s now been one month and we have no idea when they might be released. This has caused a blow to their broader activist circles and has impacted their family and friends.
The forceful deprivation of contact with loved ones is bad enough. But add to that the uncertainty surrounding their health, their emotional state, their access to food, and their wishes—and the creeping, inconsolable feeling, growing with each passing day, that it may be years before they are free.
The arrests of our Tunisian comrades sent shockwaves far beyond Tunisia—and even now, one question remains: why?
How could it be that a mere 6 months after the launch of the 2025 Global Sumud Flotilla from Tunisian shores that the government appears to be cracking down on pro-Palestinian activists? Are we witnessing a break in Tunisia’s long history of solidarity with the Palestinian people? Many questions remain unanswered. Tunisian comrades have reported that the persecution of the Global Sumud Flotilla members is not an isolated incident and forms part of a broader restriction on civic action. Since President Kais Saied took power in 2020, politicians, journalists, and activists have been imprisoned often on baseless charges such as treason or money laundering.
Or it could be that the Tunisian government is protecting its own interest: The United States recently approved a $107.7 million weapons sale to Tunisia, notified to Congress in December 2024, including 184 Javelin FGM-148F anti-tank missiles and 30 lightweight command launch units. The deal reinforces Tunisia’s role as a NATO ally.
Who is to tell which it is?
As of April 6, 2026, the Tunisian 7 have appeared in court once where their identities were confirmed and the charges were read out. The accused were not asked to enter please, nor were they given the opportunity to say anything in their defence.
Free Our Hostages, Free Our Prisoners, Free Palestine, and Free Humanity.
What is the Global Sumud Flotilla?
The Global Sumud Flotilla is a coordinated, nonviolent fleet of vessels sailing from ports across the Mediterranean to break israel's illegal siege of Gaza and deliver a message of solidarity to its people. Rooted in the spirit of sumud (the Arabic word for steadfast resilience), this initiative unites participants from over 100 countries in a powerful movement of human rights defenders, peace activists, doctors, teachers, students, and community leaders who refuse to remain silent in the face of injustice and genocide.
We are not politicians. We are not governments. We are ordinary people who believe that human dignity must never be compromised and that nonviolent action is among the strongest forces for change. Our flotilla represents a worldwide coalition building on historic efforts such as the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and the Global Movement to Gaza.
Our Mission:
Break the illegal siege on Gaza
Deliver urgent humanitarian aid and solidarity to its people
Unite global voices across borders, faiths, and movements in one coordinated effort
Affirm that freedom, justice, and the sanctity of human life are non-negotiable
This is not just about Gaza—it is about humanity. It is about the belief that ordinary people, acting together, can challenge systems of oppression and rewrite the future. The Global Sumud Flotilla is living proof that courage at sea can echo across the world.
The Global Sumud Flotilla is independent, international, and unaffiliated with any government or political party. Our only allegiance is to justice, to freedom, and the sanctity of human life.