“The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.”
These saying of Thucydides hit hard today, as it shown harsh reality of today’s geopolitics. Recently we seen Israeli interception on the global sumud flotilla in the international water without any fear of international law that shows how big giants often outweighs justice, whereas oppressed people suffer from all violations and humiliation.
The global sumud flotilla was carrying humanitarian activists and relief supplies towards Gaza, where people bared years of war crimes, blockade, and humanitarian crises. According to those aboard the vessels, the mission was peaceful and purpose was only saving human lives and providing aids with drawing international attention to the worsening humanitarian crisis. However, Israeli naval forces stopped and boarded the ships before they could reach Gaza, despite reports that the vessels were still sailing in international waters.
This incident has highlighted international concern because international sea is not under the control or sovereignty of any single state. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), all ships have the right to freedom of moving, navigating in international waters unless they engage in activities such as piracy, slavery, or terrorism. International community and human rights advocates that the flotilla was not threat. Therefore, Israel’s interception of civilian aid vessels viewed as a violation of international maritime law. This was not only violation of sea law it also violated human right, and humanitarian laws.
International community raising questions about Israel that its even do not care while breaching customary international law, additional international humanitarian law prohibits collective punishment, the starvation of civilians, and interference with humanitarian assistance. Nevertheless, Gaza has experienced years of severe restrictions on food, medicine, fuel, and necessities.
The crisis due to war and blockade advocating suffering of people of Gaza that was unbearable. Due to this international community planned and go for protection of peoples in Gaza with carrying humanitarian supplies ships to break the siege of Israel army. When Israeli forces saw they attacked on flotilla and harm or detained activities, this matter rises questions that international law is only applicable on weak and left the strong without any accountability.
It is not a single event, we had seen in history how great powers violate international law because they made laws for weak and contain their hegemony globally. In 2010, Israel attacked on Gaza freedom flotilla and boarded the Turkish shipnmavi marmama in international water. Infact, due to these activists lose their lives. The incident sparked global outrage and severely strained regional diplomatic relations. More than a decade later, a comparable situation has emerged once again, while accountability continues to remain limited.
The ancient Greek lawmaker Solon once observed:
“Laws are like spider’s webs which, if anything small falls into them they ensnare it, but large things break through and escape.”
This statement powerfully reflects the condition of the modern international system. weaker states punished, sanctioned, or charged quickly for violating international norms, while militarily or politically powerful states frequently avoid meaningful consequences. Such selective enforcement weakens confidence in international institutions and damages the credibility of the global legal order.
Israel defends its actions by arguing that the naval blockade is necessary for national security and to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas. Every state has the right to protect its security. However, international law does not provide unlimited authority to use force against civilian humanitarian missions in international waters. Even during conflict, states remain bound by humanitarian obligations and legal principles.
The Global Sumud Flotilla incident is therefore not simply about Israel and Gaza. It represents a deeper crisis within the international system itself. If international waters become spaces were military power oversighted legal protections. It also concerns, that now humanitarian missions are pointing out security threats, then international laws failing like league of nation.
At its heart, this issue is about human dignity and justice. The people of Gaza are not merely figures in a political conflict; they are humans, civilians struggling to survive under extremely unbearable circumstances. The activists aboard the flotilla attempted to challenge global silence through peaceful humanitarian action. Whether one agrees with their political position or not, the use of military force against humanitarian efforts raises profound legal and moral questions.
The world must now confront a difficult reality: will international law continue to serve as a universal standard applied equally to all states, or will it increasingly become a system where power determines accountability? The words of Thucydides and Solon will remain painfully relevant in international affairs until giants held accountable or go for trails.
