Israel Deports 422 Gaza Flotilla Activists After Abuse Allegations In Detention

Pro-Palestinian activists deported after their Gaza-bound aid flotilla was intercepted in international waters by Israeli forces alleged they were subjected to abuse while held in detention, with Canada saying it had received information detailing "appalling abuse" of its citizens.

The BBC reported that Germany and Spain confirmed that a number of their citizens had injuries, while the flotilla's organisers alleged there were "at least 15 cases of sexual assaults" and other detainees said they were beaten and mistreated.

Al Jazeera

Israel's prison service dismissed the allegations as false, saying all detainees were "held in accordance with the law," and the Israeli military told the BBC that its orders "require respectful and appropriate treatment of flotilla participants".

The detained activists were transferred to Israeli vessels and taken to an Israeli prison after arriving at the port of Ashdod, and on Thursday, 422 people from 41 countries were deported by Israel.

The BBC said it could not independently verify the allegations, even as French activist Meriem Hadjal told journalists she was "subjected to sexual violence and groping" after returning to Paris.

Outrage abroad over the activists’ treatment prompted several countries to summon Israeli envoys, and the Oregon Public Broadcasting report said about 420 activists departed Israel on planes bound for Turkey, where they landed Thursday evening in Istanbul.

The report quoted French foreign affairs minister Jean-Noel Barrot saying, "The actions of Mr. Ben-Gvir toward the passengers of the Global Sumud flotilla, condemned even by his own colleagues in the Israeli government, are unacceptable," while it also described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructing that the activists be deported "as soon as possible."

Anadolu Ajansı

The BBC said Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir oversaw a video shared by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and the BBC described the video showing him taunting dozens of activists while they were shown forced to kneel with their hands tied and foreheads touching the.

Oregon Public Broadcasting added that several countries, including Britain, France and Portugal, summoned Israeli envoys on Thursday over concerns about the treatment of flotilla activists and in protest of Ben-Gvir’s actions.

The BBC also reported that Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told reporters that four of the 44 Spanish activists had received medical treatment for injuries.

The Global Sumud Flotilla episode fed into continued maritime attempts to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, with Anadolu Ajansı reporting that the activists urged their governments to stop supporting Israel after their detention and mistreatment in Israel.

Anadolu Ajansı said the Turkish Foreign Ministry announced the evacuation of 422 volunteers from the Global Flotilla of Resilience on three Turkish Airlines flights, after Israel detained them in international waters while they were on a humanitarian mission to Gaza.

Al Jazeera reported that the Global Resilience Fleet was preparing to set sail tomorrow, Thursday, from Marmaris with 54 ships and more than 500 international activists and supporters taking part, and it quoted Saif Abu Kashk saying Israel does not respect human rights or international law.

Al Jazeera also reported that Tiago Avila said Israeli forces kidnapped the participants after they set off from Greece and that what the activists endured "exposes the conduct of a state that does not respect international law at all."

The BBC meanwhile described Israel’s position that its orders require respectful and appropriate treatment of flotilla participants, while the Israel prison service said "No specific incidents of deviation from these binding procedures are known within the IDF" and that any concrete complaints would be examined thoroughly.