Amid the Israeli navy’s takeover of dozens of boats that took part in a Gaza-bound flotilla in international waters near Crete, and after more than 170 detained activists were released in Greece, several participants claimed in interviews with Italian media that they were subjected to “severe violence and torture” by IDF troops.
The Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera published photos on its website of two flotilla activists showing what it said were apparent signs of violence on their faces — evidence, according to them, that IDF troops “beat them very hard.” The claims followed the presence of a journalist from the Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano on the flotilla, who was the first to report the allegations of violence.
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Flotilla activists who claim they were attacked by IDF troops
(Photo: Corriere della Sera)
According to Corriere della Sera, which cited an unofficial response from Israeli officials, some activists tried to forcibly resist the arrest of the two leading flotilla activists, Palestinian-Spanish activist Saif Abu Kashk and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila, who, unlike the other participants, were to be brought to Israel for questioning. According to the report, once the arrests began, some activists resisted and force was therefore apparently used against them.
In a statement, the flotilla organizers said: “Participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla have just survived 40 hours of planned brutality aboard one of the Israeli navy’s ships in Greece’s territorial waters. The activists were denied reasonable access to water and food. They were forced to sleep on the floor of the deck, which was deliberately and constantly flooded with water. When the soldiers began the arrests of Abu Kashk and Avila, our crew resisted peacefully, and in response, pure violence was used against them. The activists were punched and kicked, and dragged across the deck with their hands tied behind their backs. Some activists suffered broken noses, others broken ribs and other bleeding wounds.”
The flotilla organizers filed a complaint in Rome over what they described as the “kidnapping” of the two central activists and their transfer to Israel for questioning. The organizers said there is now “grave concern for the safety of the two and that they may be severely tortured by Israeli authorities.”
The navy’s seizure of the flotilla at a great distance from Israel’s shores sparked anger in European countries, dozens of whose citizens were aboard the boats heading to Gaza to break the blockade. The reactions were highly critical, particularly from Italy and Spain.