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Organizers a Aid from Gaza said foreign activists abducted in international waters had been tortured while in Israeli custody, including at least 15 allegations of sexual assault or rape.
Organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla added in a statement to the Telegraph on Friday that several activists were hospitalized with injuries, a day after hundreds were injured. to be expelled from Israel.
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Germany said some of its nationals on the ship were injured and that other casualties were “multiple”, without giving further details. A law enforcement source in Italy said prosecutors there are investigating possible crimes, including kidnapping and rape.
The Israeli military seized about 430 people aboard 50 boats in international waters on Tuesday to stop a group of volunteers trying to bring aid to the Gaza Strip.
The allegations of brutality will increase pressure on Israeli authorities to explain their treatment of detainees after a video was released by Israel’s far-right Defense Minister. Itamar Ben-Gvirwhich showed him mocking international freedom fighters on a makeshift sign in Ashdod, Israel.
The activists are seen tied with rope and kneeling as the Israeli national anthem plays in the video, which was released on Wednesday.
‘Striped, thrown down, beaten’
“About 15 cases of rape, including rape. Shot with rubber bullets nearby. Tens of people’s bones were broken,” the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla wrote on Telegram.
“While the eyes of the world are being trained on the suffering of those involved, we cannot be sure enough that this is only a reflection of the brutality that Israel inflicts daily on Palestinian hostages.”
Luca Poggi, an Italian economist who was among those arrested on the train, told Reuters news agency after arriving in Rome: “They stripped us of our clothes, threw us down, beat us with bruises.” Many of us were pelted with mud, some were insulted, and some were not allowed to see a lawyer.
Ilaria Mancosu, an Italian worker, said that the members of the flotilla were removed from their boats to two ships that were called prisons. Those who were put in one train suffered more torture than the other, he said. He was locked in a bucket and beaten by five soldiers, and broke his ribs and hands. Some suffered serious eye and ear injuries from the tasers.
Mancosu said they spent two days in the prison trains without running water and used cardboard and plastic to warm themselves at night as they had no blankets and took off most of their clothes. When they got to land, they knelt down for several hours and if they moved or spoke, they were kicked and kicked. They were then taken to a prison where they were moved from room to room from time to time to keep them awake, he said.
Prosecutors in Rome are investigating possible cases of kidnapping, torture and rape and will hear testimony from activists who have returned to Italy in the coming days, an Italian law enforcement source told Reuters.
A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said officials who met with German activists after they returned from Israel to Istanbul, Turkey on Thursday, reported that several were injured and were being treated in hospital.
Compassion for German citizens was “very important”, the spokesman said, “naturally we expect a full explanation, because some of the things that have been said are difficult.”
Sabrina Charik, who helped organize the return of 37 French nationals from the flotilla, told Reuters that five French nationals had been hospitalized in Turkey, some with broken ribs or broken bones. Others reported sexual abuse, including rape, he said.
Israeli police deny the claims, and Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify any of the claims.
“The allegations are false and have no evidence,” a prison spokesman in Israel said in a statement.
“All prisoners and detainees are held in accordance with the law, with respect for their basic rights and under the supervision of trained prison staff.”
In an Instagram post by the activist group, French citizen Adrien Jouen showed bruises on his back and legs.
Protesters say some of the alleged atrocities took place at sea after they were seized by the Israeli navy, with others following their seizure and detention in Israeli prisons.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told reporters that 44 Spanish members of the flotilla are expected to arrive on Friday by plane from Istanbul to Madrid and Barcelona. Four of them received medical treatment for their injuries, he said.
A history of violent robberies and murders
The flotilla appeared in 2006 during Israel’s war in Lebanon and expanded after Israel closed Gaza in 2007.
Since then, hundreds of ships organized by international coalitions have tried to reach the region, carrying humanitarian aid and activists.
In 2008, two boats from the Free Gaza Movement became the first to successfully reach Gaza by sea despite the blockade.
In 2010, Israeli commandos destroyed a Turkish ship Mavi Marmara; 10 activists were killed, and many were injured.
The Israeli military has captured almost every flotilla in international waters since that year.
Harassment claims from activists brought to Israel after the annexation have been common, and organizers say they fear sanctions and false claims of Hamas links are being used to justify further violations.
