Activists detained after their flotilla tried to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza have reported mistreatment by Israeli soldiers, including beatings, tasers, and attack dogs. The Global Sumud Flotilla, comprising 50 boats, was intercepted in international waters approximately 250 miles off the Israeli coast. Activists, journalists, and at least one Italian lawmaker were transferred to military vessels and taken to the Ashdod port in southern Israel, where they were held in containers.
Accounts of Mistreatment
According to accounts given to The Associated Press, detainees were punched, kicked, dragged, and pulled by their hair. Zeynel Abidin Ozkan, a Turkish flotilla board member, described being held in a container and hearing others being physically assaulted outside. He said he was denied contact with his lawyer, embassy officials, or relatives, and was pressured to sign papers under duress. When he refused, he was handcuffed, shackled, and dragged along the ground with dogs released on him.
Christopher Boren, an activist from Hawaii, recounted being grabbed by Israeli soldiers at Ashdod port, who beat him with hardened plastic gloves, causing his eye to swell shut. Italian journalist Alessandro Mantovani of Il Fatto Quotidiano provided detailed accounts of being forced to kneel, blindfolded, with zip ties binding his wrists to a metal structure. He described being kicked, punched, and tasered, as well as strip-searched, with his glasses and wallet discarded.
Israeli Response
Israel has denied the allegations. Zivan Freidin, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prison Service, called the claims “false and entirely without factual basis.” However, far-right Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sparked global outrage after promoting a video of himself taunting detained activists. Foreign leaders condemned his treatment of detainees, and several countries summoned Israeli envoys to express concerns.
Approximately 420 activists departed for Turkey on Thursday after being deported from Israel, many wearing gray sweatsuits and Arab kaffiyehs. The AP interviewed them as they reached Istanbul and other European cities.
