The new attack by Israel against the international flotilla Samoud which was heading towards Gaza with humanitarian aid, has caused global shock and outrage, as the testimonies of the activists reveal images of raw violence, torture, and degrading treatment by the Israeli forces. What the participants in the flotilla describe reminds, according to international organizations and European activists, of moving prisons of terror in the middle of the sea. The flotilla Samoud, which had set sail from Turkey with the aim of breaking the blockade of Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid, faced a violent intervention by the Israeli forces in international waters. Approximately 430 activists and volunteers were arrested after the seizure of nearly 50 vessels, while according to the allegations, their transfer turned into a nightmare. The testimonies broadcast by Al Jazeera cause shock.
Women raped in floating prisons of terror: unthinkable torture of 185 activists
The French activist Sabrina Azizi described that from the moment of their transfer to the Israeli military ships, the security forces used extreme violence. The detainees were forced to sit on the floor under inhumane conditions, faced beatings, humiliations, and were deprived of water, food, and sleep for many hours. According to her, passports were confiscated immediately and the arrestees were transferred to dark metal containers, which were used as temporary floating prisons. There, as she denounces, about 185 people were held under conditions of torture.
Suspicious injections
Sabrina Azizi also revealed that she personally saw Israeli military or medical personnel give her an unknown injection in the neck without any explanation, while she denounced that dozens of activists suffered injuries, electric shocks, fractures, and severe head traumas. Particular international outrage is caused by the allegations of sexual harassment and rapes against female activists. The organizers of the flotilla announced that they have recorded at least 15 cases of sexual abuse inside the so called floating prisons of Israel. Sabrina Azizi described scenes of absolute terror at the port of Ashdod, where the Israeli forces, according to her testimony, dragged detainees on the ground tied with plastic handcuffs, while female activists fainted from exhaustion and violence.
Without water for more than 50 hours
Similar allegations were made by the European activist Fawzi al-Shahi, who confirmed that the detainees suffered continuous psychological and physical torture. As he stated, several activists remained without water for more than 50 hours, while being forced to remain standing through the night due to overcrowding and the fear of plastic bullets and flash-bang grenades. He also denounced that in certain cases the detainees were forced to kneel for hours under the hot sun, while he saw activists with visible marks from dog bites used by the Israeli forces as a means of intimidation. According to the testimonies, the transfer of the detainees continued inside closed trucks with suffocating conditions and high temperatures, despite the fact that many were already in a state of dehydration and exhaustion. Some, as they stated, believed that they were living the last hours of their lives.
Global outrage
The incident has caused intense international reactions. Germany characterized some of the allegations as extremely serious and demanded full explanations, while Italian judicial authorities launched an investigation into potential cases of kidnapping, torture, and sexual abuse. At the same time, even inside Israel a political storm broke out after the release of videos showing bound activists kneeling and humiliated being forced to listen to the national anthem of Israel.
Ben-Gvir in the crosshairs
At the center of the outcry was the far right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who appeared to publicly approve of the treatment of the detainees. According to Yediot Aharonot, top Israeli military officials were infuriated by his stance, characterizing it as a strategic disaster for the image of Israel internationally. Israeli officials reportedly admitted that the government had already achieved its goal of stopping the flotilla, but the public humiliation and mistreatment of the activists turned Israel into a central target of global outcry.
Netanyahu provokes
Despite international pressure, Benjamin Netanyahu avoided directly condemning the treatment of the activists. He confined himself only to stating that the way of management by Ben-Gvir does not reflect the values of Israel, while at the same time he fully defended the attack on the flotilla Samoud. Indeed, in a telephone communication with a commander of the Israeli naval unit that participated in the operation, Netanyahu reportedly stated: You are preventing a devilish plan to break the blockade of Hamas in Gaza. The images of the arrests, the torture, and the allegations of sexual abuse have now brought back to the center the international discussion on the treatment of detainees by Israel and on the practices implemented not only against activists of humanitarian missions, but also against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. For many international observers, the incident of the flotilla Samoud does not constitute an isolated event, but yet another indication of the increasingly extreme and violent policy followed by Israel in Gaza and in the wider region.
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