ISTANBUL — Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla have described beatings, electric shocks, degrading searches and sexual violence following their detention by Israeli forces after attempts to sail humanitarian aid toward Gaza, according to testimonies collected by the flotilla's organisers and Palestinian legal group Adalah.
The accounts emerged after hundreds of participants were detained following Israeli interceptions of flotilla vessels in the eastern Mediterranean in April and May. Global Sumud Flotilla said participants reported being struck with rubber bullets, tasered, held in stress positions for hours and confined on a vessel converted into a makeshift detention facility. Organisers said they had documented at least 15 cases of sexual abuse, including allegations of rape.
Adalah, which provided legal assistance to detained participants, said its lawyers collected testimonies alleging physical violence, sexual humiliation and psychological abuse while detainees were held at Ashdod port before being transferred to the Ktziot detention facility. The organisation later said it had consulted more than 220 activists and reported allegations of torture and ill-treatment.
Several activists also described injuries sustained during the detentions. Reuters reported that some participants required hospital treatment for injuries including broken ribs and fractured vertebrae. The allegations could not be independently verified in every case.
Israeli authorities have rejected allegations of systematic mistreatment. The Israel Prison Service said detainees were held in accordance with the law, with regard for their basic rights and under professional supervision, according to reporting at the time.
The controversy intensified after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released video footage showing detained activists restrained and kneeling. The footage drew criticism from international officials and added pressure for an investigation into the treatment of the detainees.
The flotilla, which organisers said carried hundreds of activists from numerous countries, sought to reach Gaza with humanitarian supplies despite Israel's naval blockade. Israel has said the flotilla was attempting to breach the blockade and has described the mission as serving Hamas interests, while the organisers have rejected that characterization.
By late May, Adalah said Israeli authorities had released the detained international participants for deportation. The flotilla organisers subsequently said survivors were returning home and submitting accounts of their treatment to lawyers and international bodies.
