International coverage continued Monday over the return of “Sumud” flotilla activists to their home countries following their deportation from Israel — including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg’s arrival in Greece. But Thunberg was not the only high-profile participant on one of the ships intercepted by the Israeli navy on Yom Kippur. Former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau was also on board, attempting to reach Gaza before being detained.
Colau, a longtime pro-Palestinian supporter and vocal backer of the BDS movement, was among hundreds of activists who took part in the flotilla. Britain’s Guardian published additional accounts Monday of alleged mistreatment in Israeli custody — claims strongly denied by Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
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Ada Colau, former mayor of Barcelona, after deportation
(Photo: AP Photo/Joan Mateu Parra)
Greta on her landing: 'Can talk at length about the abuse'
(Video: Reuters)
The activists alleged they were deprived of sleep and medication, beaten, threatened with rifles, attacked by dogs and forced to watch footage from the October 7 Hamas massacre or sleep on the floor. “All the detainees’ legal rights were fully preserved,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said. “It is worth noting that Greta herself and others refused to expedite their deportation and insisted on extending their detention.”
Colau said upon returning to Spain that outside her cell yard hung a large photo of bombed-out Gaza with Arabic text reading “Welcome to the new Gaza.” She described the facility as belonging to a “fascist state,” adding, “We asked for a doctor — and they told us that’s for human beings.”
Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament deported to Greece alongside Thunberg, claimed Israeli police beat her. “They hit me while putting me in the van,” she said. “There were times when 13 to 15 of us were packed into a cell, with no beds — just thin mattresses on the floor. We lacked everything — no lawyer, no doctor, no shower, no access outside.”
Italian journalist Saverio Tommasi told The Guardian he was “beaten from the moment we arrived at port until the end. They hit my back and head, laughing all the while. Anyone who didn’t look down was struck in the head.”
Most detainees were held at Ketziot Prison in southern Israel until their deportation. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the facility last Thursday, entering the activists’ cells and later boasting that he was proud of the treatment they received. “Anyone who supports terrorism is a terrorist and deserves terrorist conditions,” Ben Gvir said. “If any of them thought they’d get a red carpet and trumpets — they were mistaken. Let them feel the conditions and think twice before coming near Israel again.”
Spanish activist Rafael Borrego alleged that “whenever we called for a guard, seven armed men would storm our cell, point guns at our heads with attack dogs, and drag us on the floor. It happened daily.” Another Italian journalist, Lorenzo D'Agostino, told The Guardian that detainees needing medical care were ignored. “When we all protested, they came in armed, set dogs on us and pointed lasers from their rifles at our heads,” he said. “When they stripped us of shirts and Palestinian symbols like the keffiyeh, they stomped on them with force.”
Thunberg, who landed in Greece earlier Monday, said she “could speak at length about the abuse in prison” but declined to elaborate, focusing instead on what she called “the genocide in Gaza.” De Agostini said Thunberg appeared to have been treated more harshly than others. “I saw them hang an Israeli flag over her while soldiers took selfies,” he said. “She’s strong and brave, but during the arrest, she looked deeply shaken.”
In Israel, 138 activists remain in custody. About 100 more — including Nelson Mandela’s grandson — are expected to cross into Jordan via the Allenby Bridge on Tuesday. Once that group is deported, fewer than 50 flotilla activists will remain. According to Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority, with Foreign Ministry support, nearly all activists were deported within four days — “without burdening the Israeli taxpayer.”
First published: 00:08, 10.07.25