Gaza flotilla activists allege sexual assault and rape in Israeli detention
Israeli prison service denies claims of abuse during detention of 430 people trying to take aid to Palestinians
Nobody stopped this disgusting behaviour of Ben Givr and his gang of extremists:
Ben Gvir posts video of himself taunting bound and detained Gaza flotilla activists, sparks global outcry
Clip shows minister waving Israeli flag as activists forced to kneel on ground and national anthem blasts over loudspeaker; Italy, France summon Israeli envoys over treatment of their citizens
By ToI Staff, Agencies and Nava Freiberg Follow
20 May 2026, 5:24 pmUpdated: 21 May 2026, 3:20 am
Appalling abuse suffered by flotilla group:
Beatings, humiliation and sexual violence: The abuse allegations made by flotilla activists
Organisers said participants from a total of 40 countries have described being subjected to sexual violence.
6.01pm, 25 May 2026
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ISRAELI SOLDIERS SUBJECTED activists from the latest Gaza aid flotilla to sexual, psychological and physical abuse after intercepting their boats and taking them to Israel, according to numerous accounts from participants.
The Global Sumud Flotilla had been sailing towards the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza, which has been blockaded since 2007, when Israeli forces boarded the boats and detained those on board last week off the coast of Cyprus.
The 428 activists were taken to Israel against their will before being deported to Turkey, where many of them were given medical treatment for injuries including broken bones, according to flotilla organisers.
At least 67 people suffered injuries that required medical attention, organisers have said, while 12 of them were hospitalised (nine in Turkey and three in Greece).
Two people remain in hospital in Turkey, the organisers said in a statement on Sunday.
One activist is under observation with a broken foot, while another is being monitored due to concerns about internal bleeding and an irregular heartbeat, as well as a broken leg.
A captain of one of the boats is also still recovering in Turkey and is unable to travel because he suffered a punctured lung.
“I don’t think there’s a single person without some kind of injury,” Irish activist Catríona Graham said.
“There’s no way you’re getting out without a beating,” Joshua St Leger, another Irish participant, told Cork’s 96FM after returning to Ireland.
Flotilla organisers said that activists had provided “harrowing” testimony about their treatment while on Israeli ships and in detention when they arrived in Israel.
The abuses, according to organisers, included the use of rubber bullets at close range, stun grenades and tasers to the activists’ faces and upper bodies.
https://www.thejournal.ie/flotilla-activists-allege-sexual-abuse-torture-israel-7050938-May2026/
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