'No one was prepared for what was about to happen': Gaza flotilla activist speaks about violence she suffered in Israel

Malika Baouya, a 48-year-old nurse, suffered severe injuries while she was being detained by Israeli authorities. Pictured here in Nice, on June 5, 2026. OLIVIER MONGE/MYOP FOR LE MONDE Malika Baouya hardly sleeps anymore. Every time she closes her eyes, she sees the soldiers. When she finally manages to fall asleep, she dreams of beatings and of the red dots from the laser sights of weapons aimed at her. Baouya, a 48-year-old temporary nurse from Nice, an activist for the Palestinian cause and mother of three, met with Le Monde on Friday, June 5. She was arrested by the Israeli authorities on May 18 and was, according to her account, "tortured" by them. She was part of a crew of 430 activists, including 37 French nationals, who had sailed from Turkey on May 14, aiming to break the blockade Israel imposes on the Gaza Strip. Baouya's cervical vertebrae were seriously injured, and so she first had to be hospitalized in Turkey as an emergency measure on May 21, before she could be repatriated to Nice on May 26, where she arrived in a wheelchair alongside Scott Moreau, another member of the flotilla. Moreau, a 26-year-old bookseller, had a perforated eardrum and a damaged lung from being "beaten up." The French consulate in Istanbul documented the extent of their injuries as well as medical records Le Monde was able to review. You have 84.32% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.