Samuel Rostøl (41) is a trained nurse, but in recent years he has been a full-time animal rights activist. He is from Sørlandet and lives in Vats. In 2025, he participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which aimed to attempt to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Nearly 500 people participated in the flotilla of smaller boats that set sail for Gaza, hoping to transport humanitarian aid to the population during the ongoing famine.

On Wednesday 1 October 2025, the flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters. The volunteers on board were arrested and taken to Israel. Samuel Rostøl was held captive for ten days.

In the lecture, the audience will hear about his motivation for embarking on the voyage, about a trip that was subjected to several drone attacks, and about what it was like to go through ten days in Israeli captivity.