Israel expels Gaza aid flotilla activists after interception

Israel – which denies that its offensive in Gaza amounts to genocide – said it expelled 171 activists, including Thunberg, to Greece and Slovakia on Monday. That brought the total deported so far to 341, out of 479 people it detained when it captured the flotilla attempting to break its naval blockade of Gaza last week.

Its foreign ministry posted on X that “the deportees were citizens of Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, Slovakia, Switzerland, Norway, the UK, Serbia, and the United States.” The post included photos of Thunberg and other activists wearing white T-shirts and grey sweatpants.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Monday afternoon confirmed it was providing consular assistance to seven Australians who were detained when the flotilla was intercepted, including in-person visits to Israel’s Ketziot prison in the Negev Desert.

The interception of the flotilla led to large-scale demonstrations in cities across the world.

Israeli authorities again rejected mistreatment accusations that have emerged in interviews with activists who were deported to Turkey, Spain and Italy over the weekend.

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Supporters of the detained Australians have also claimed they are being physically and mentally abused by their captors, including assaults, intimidation and being deprived of sleep and essential medications.

“We know this is a distressing time for them and for their loved ones,” a DFAT spokesperson said on Monday. “We have made clear to Israel our expectation that detainees will receive humane treatment in line with international norms.”

Lubna Tuma, a lawyer with the legal rights NGO Adalah representing detained flotilla participants, said 150 people were still held in Ketziot, including Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela. Forty of them were on hunger strike, including many Tunisians.

“Some stated that they prefer that their food go to the people in Gaza,” Tuma said during a briefing broadcast on Adalah’s and the flotilla’s Instagram accounts. Others were also refusing to drink water “until medical treatment is given to all detainees”, she said.

Adalah’s legal team said the remainder of the activists – including those from countries that don’t maintain diplomatic relations with Israel – were expected to be deported on Tuesday.

Adalah lawyers have seen most, but not all, of the activists. Tuma said Israeli authorities have repeatedly violated activists’ rights. Tuma said it started with their interception in international waters and continued with their transfer to Israel and detention in a maximum-security prison, where Tuma said activists were subject to physical violence and humiliation.

Israeli authorities have rejected the claims, reiterating that the detainees’ rights had been respected throughout their detention. Israel’s foreign ministry accused one activist of biting a female medical staff member.

Several activists have given testimonies alleging mistreatment by Israeli authorities.

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“There was some dehumanising and violence and shouting,” Roos Ykema, a Dutch member of the flotilla who was deported to Madrid on Sunday, told Associated Press. “But we got the European treatment.”

North African nationals who were detained told AP they faced harsher treatment than their European counterparts.

“When I showed my Belgian passport their behaviour towards me changed completely,” said Houssem Eddine Rmedi, a dual Tunisian-Belgian citizen.

Others said they weren’t so lucky.

“The moment you show your Tunisian, Algerian or Moroccan passport, they start beating you,” said Moroccan activist Ayoub Habraoui, who added that he and others were kept kneeling under the sun for nearly six hours.

Reuters, AP

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