“Deported flotilla activists allege 'sadistic' sexual abuse and torture in Israeli captivity Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 05/22/2026 - 09:43 Activists report being stripped, 'water-tortured' and dragged along the ground with bound hands and feet Italian flotilla activists gesture upon arrival at Fiumicino Airport in Italy after being deported from Israel on Thursday (Remo Casilli/Reuters) Off Flotilla activists who were abducted and jailed by Israeli authorities while in international waters have reported being subjected to sexual abuse and torture while in Israeli captivity. Some 430 activists, who were held after Israeli forces raided the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla , were deported to Istanbul on Thursday evening. Footage showed activists arriving at airports clad in grey prison tracksuits and keffiyehs with their fists raised, as families and supporters greeted them. Upon arrival the activists reported being fired at with rubber bullets, beaten and subjected to sexual assault while in Israeli custody. Italian journalist Alessandro Mantovani, who is among the deportees, told reporters at Rome’s Fiumicino airport that he and others were“taken to Ben Gurion airport in handcuffs and with chains on our feet and put on a flight to Athens”. He said that Israeli soldiers “beat us up. They kicked us and punched us and shouted ‘Welcome to Israel’.” Miriam Azem, from the Israeli rights group Adalah, reported that one of the activists “was forced to strip naked and run while guards were laughing”. One activist said in a video interview that her hands and feet were bound as she was dragged by Israeli soldiers, adding that the cuffs were so tight that “my hands lost feeling”. "They laughed all the time. Super sadistic," she told reporters. "They took off my shirt, took pictures. Mistreated us all night long." Father of Gaza flotilla activist says UK ignored call for help after son seized by Israel Read More » Australian activist Juliet Lamont said she was “tied with cables, water tortured and sexually assaulted”. “People had broken ribs, were tased in the face, and injected with unknown sedatives.” Photos shared online appear to show activists who have sustained injuries from the alleged beatings. Brazilian activist Thiago Avila who was detained by Israeli during a previous flotilla operation published a video in which he alleged that activists were “raped” by Israeli soldiers. He said that there were “many cases of sexual violence … on the prison boat, on the way to the port of Ashdod”. Adalah said that Israel’s “entire operation”, including the “unlawful” raid of the aid vessels in international waters and the "systemic torture, humiliation, and arbitrary detention" of the activists on board, constitutes "a flagrant violation of international law". Global outrage The activists’ release follows global outrage over a video circulated online of far-right security minister Itamar Ben Gvir overseeing the humiliation and abuse of the detained flotilla participants. He was filmed waving an Israeli flag and confronting the detained activists as they were being manhandled and forced to kneel facing the ground by officers from the Israel Prison Service. The footage sparked a backlash inside Israel, though it was largely focused on concerns that the video had damaged the country’s standing abroad. It also drew condemnation from several world leaders, including officials from countries whose citizens were among those detained by Israel. Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, said he was "appalled" by the footage. Meanwhile, a number of countries, including the UK, Italy, Spain and France, summoned Israel’s charge d'affaires over the video. Israel's genocide in Gaza News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
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