Gaza flotilla activists allege mistreatment after Israel intercepts Global Sumud boats

Detained activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli forces abused them after stopping their Gaza-bound boats. They described beatings, tasers and threats from dogs during transfers and detention. Israel rejected the claims. The flotilla of 50 boats was intercepted in international waters, about 400 kilometres off Israel’s coast, the activists said.

Representative image

Activists and journalists said they were moved onto military boats and taken to a larger vessel at Ashdod port. They said Israeli soldiers punched, kicked, and dragged detainees by their hair. Some said they were held in containers at the port. Several told The Associated Press the handcuffs caused painful marks.

Global Sumud Flotilla activists allege violence after Ashdod port transfer

Israel denied wrongdoing through the Israeli Prison Service. "The allegations were false and entirely without factual basis,\" said spokesperson Zivan Freidin. The claims followed international criticism of far-right security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Foreign leaders condemned Ben-Gvir’s on-camera behaviour, and several countries summoned Israeli envoys to raise concerns.

About 420 activists left for Turkey on Thursday after deportation from Israel. Many wore grey sweatsuits and Arab kaffiyehs. The AP interviewed some detainees on Thursday and Friday. The conversations happened as the group reached Istanbul, Athens, and other European cities. They shared accounts about the raid, transport, and detention conditions.

Global Sumud Flotilla accounts describe containers, restraints and dogs

Zeynel Abidin Ozkan, a Turkish flotilla board member, said detainees were placed in a container soon after the raid. Ozkan said some people were taken outside, where Ozkan heard assaults. \"We faced periods where we couldnt stand, our heads were bowed to the ground, we were dragged and pulled by our hair. The handcuffs left serious marks on us.\"

Ozkan said that after reaching Ashdod port, contact with legal and consular support was blocked. Ozkan also said officials pushed for signatures on documents. Ozkan said refusal brought harsher handling. \"When we refused to sign, they treated us like prisoners, creating a file, taking photos, forcibly handcuffing our hands and feet with iron shackles. And then, with the soldiers, dragged us along the ground, surrounded by dogs, releasing the dogs on us, before loading us into prison trucks.\"

Christopher Boren, an activist from Hawaii, said violence started as soon as the group reached Ashdod. \"When we got to Ashdod port, I was immediately grabbed by five IDF soldiers or police officers. They put my head down and started beating me. One of them had gloves on with hardened plastic and he started punching my face and it swelled shut,\" he said, showing his black eye.

Global Sumud Flotilla journalist describes blindfolds, taser use and searches

Alessandro Mantovani, an Italian journalist with the daily Il Fatto Quotidiano, said the transfer included blindfolds and restraint positions. \"During the crossing, we were put on our knees, blindfolded, and told to make sure the blindfold didnt move. They repositioned mine 30 times because I kept trying to look around. And theres absolutely no possibility in this situation to say Im a member of parliament or Im a journalist -- youre dealing with machines that scream and accompany their screaming with physical gestures.\"

Mantovani described painful positioning with zip ties and a metal structure during travel. Mantovani also described force after reaching a detention ship. \"They put you flat on the ground, then on your knees, with zip ties on your wrists. The blindfold, plus an additional zip tie securing your wrists down to a metal structure, just a few inches from the deck. So youre forced to travel in an extremely uncomfortable position on rough concrete. And I had cramps in my legs the whole time, obviously. After they were transferred to a ship that was used for detention the treatment became immediately more violent. We entered through this small hatch and were shoved and dragged by force with our arms twisted behind our backs, forced to kneel in front of a wall with our heads down. At one point, he was thrown down flat on my stomach, hands behind my back, face pressed, head pressed against the soaking wet and dirty floor of this ship -- pressed down with their feet -- and then they pressed my hands behind my back. Once inside the container, I was kicked in the shin. Honestly, I dont expect it. And they say Welcome to Israel. Then a punch to the face, one from this side, one from that side. A closed-fist punch. I moved to get up and I got kicked in the leg. A little jolt from a taser to the ribs. And then I make it out the other side of this container and reach the deck.\"

Mantovani said Israeli personnel strip searched Mantovani and threw away Mantovani’s eye glasses and wallet. Mantovani said people on the ship threw their mobile phones into the sea. Mantovani said no watch was worn on this trip. Mantovani said a watch was nearly taken during an earlier flotilla attempt.

Global Sumud Flotilla detainee recalls Itamar Ben-Gvir visit and questioning

Yiannis Atmatzidis, a Greek activist, described repeated violence on a prison ship. \"I was struck with a taser, beaten with punches and kicks, insulted and humiliated. On the prison ship there was a container that everyone had to pass through. You entered through one door and a group of six or seven people would beat you mercilessly until you emerged from the other side. Every single one of us went through that.\"

Atmatzidis said Ben-Gvir visited while identification processing was under way. \"The minister entered the room and asked me where I was from. I replied, from Greece. He then asked why I was there, and I told him that I had come to deliver humanitarian aid to people who needed it. He responded, Are you a friend of Hamas? I explained that our mission had no political agenda and was purely humanitarian. He was surrounded by four armed guards who aimed their weapons and laser sights at me while I sat there handcuffed behind my back.\"

Atmatzidis said hand restraints caused numbness, and complaints changed nothing. \"Whenever we told them that circulation was being cut off and our hands were going numb, they showed absolutely no mercy. I do not have the words to describe the brutality and cruelty of these people. It is something I will never forget.\" Israel continued to deny mistreatment as the deported group dispersed across Turkey and Europe.

With inputs from PTI