Gaza flotilla activists faced ‘humiliation, violence’ by Israel: Rights group

Activists from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla were subjected to “humiliation and violence” by Israeli authorities after an attack on the convoy in international water, an attorney with Israeli rights group Adalah said Thursday.

Hadeel Abu Saleh told reporters outside the Israeli Magistrate’s Court in the southern city of Ashkelon that the activists gave testimonies that included “forcing women activists to remove their hijabs and keeping activists in painful positions.”

She said some activists were wounded, with several believed to have suffered injuries to their ribs and other parts of the body.

Videos published by activists showed some were hit with rubber bullets fired by the Israeli navy, she added.

Abu Saleh accused Israeli authorities of trying to “humiliate the activists and use violence against them,” referring to a video published on social media by ruling coalition partner and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Such practices “are known by Israeli authorities,” she said, adding that they are also used by Israel against Palestinian prisoners.

“What happened was another attempt to criminalize and punish humanitarian activists who are trying to express solidarity and send humanitarian aid to Gaza,” Abu Saleh said.

Abu Saleh represented Global Sumud Flotilla activist Zohar Regev, who holds Israeli citizenship, before the Ashkelon court as Tel Aviv began deporting the rest of the activists through Ramon Airport in southern Israel.

She said Israeli police sought Regev’s release under conditions, including barring her from entering Gaza for 140 days and requiring her to appear for questioning upon request.

The defense team asked the court to cancel all conditions and release her without restrictions.

Regev “was arrested in international waters in violation of international law and also Israeli law,” Abu Saleh said.

“The court did not approve all of the Israeli police conditions, but decided to release her while barring her from entering Gaza for two months,” she added.

According to the flotilla organizers, the Israeli army attacked all of the flotilla’s roughly 50 boats, which carried 428 activists from 44 countries, including 78 Turkish citizens.

The Israeli attack drew a wide wave of condemnations from countries and rights groups, including Amnesty International.

Israel has seized aid boats heading to Gaza in international waters several times before, including vessels linked to Sumud flotilla campaigns, detaining activists before later deporting them.

About 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza face catastrophic humanitarian conditions that have worsened under Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023. The war has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians and wounded over 172,000 others, most of them women and children.

Despite a ceasefire announced Oct. 10, 2025, Israel continues the genocide by restricting the entry of humanitarian aid, medicine and medical supplies, and through daily attacks that have killed 883 Palestinians and wounded 2,648 others.

*Writing by Lina Altawell in Istanbul