ISRAELI OCCUPIED AND STARVED GAZA, 05 Oct. - (ANA) - Activists who were detained alongside Greta Thunberg in Israel have accused Israeli forces of beating, humiliating, and depriving the Swedish climate campaigner of food and water following the interception of the Gaza aid flotilla.

 

Testimonies from multiple detainees describe scenes of abuse and intimidation after the capture of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.

 

Turkish journalist Ersin Celik, one of those detained, told TRT World that Israeli soldiers "dragged Greta Thunberg on the ground" and "forced her to kiss the Israeli flag". He alleged she was "severely tortured before our eyes … made to crawl and humiliated".

 

Other activists offered similar accounts. Malaysian participant Hazwani Helmi told Al Jazeera that detainees were "denied food, clean water, and medication", calling the experience "a disaster - they treated us like animals".

 

Italian journalist Lorenzo Agostino claimed Thunberg "was humiliated and wrapped in an Israeli flag and exhibited like a trophy".

 

Turkish presenter Ikbal Gurpinar alleged that detainees were left without sustenance: "They treated us like dogs. They left us hungry for three days. They didn’t give us water; we had to drink from the toilet."

 

According to The Guardian, internal Swedish foreign ministry correspondence indicated that Thunberg complained of dehydration, rashes she attributed to bedbug infestations, and being forced to sit for long periods on hard surfaces. It was also reported that she had been forced to hold the Israeli flag. 

 

Israel's foreign ministry has rejected allegations of mistreatment. 

 

The flotilla included hundreds of activists, journalists, and lawmakers from more than 40 countries. Turkish officials said 137 detainees were flown to Istanbul after being held by Israel, part of a larger group of over 450 people captured during the operation.

 

Legal aid group Adalah, representing several of the activists, said detainees were also filmed in front of Israeli flags and threatened with further detention if they refused.

 

Their lawyer, Sena Eliküçük, said she plans to submit formal complaints to the United Nations and the International Criminal Court, calling the alleged abuse "a grave violation of human dignity that must be investigated".

 

Swedish authorities confirmed they had been in contact with Thunberg during her detention and requested assurances of her safety. No independent investigation has yet verified the claims, though human rights organisations have called for an international inquiry.

 

Israel’s blockade of Gaza has been in place since 2007, making it the longest siege in modern history.

 

The blockade restricts the movement of people and goods by land, air, and sea, with Israel maintaining tight control over Gaza’s borders and coastline.

 

Humanitarian agencies say the siege has created one of the world’s most protracted humanitarian crises, and conditions have sharply deteriorated since Israel’s war on the Palestinian enclave began in October 2023.

 

The episode has deepened Israel’s growing international isolation, drawing condemnation across Europe and the Global South.

 

Critics say the alleged mistreatment of Thunberg, a globally recognised environmental figure, could further erode Israel’s standing following months of global outrage over its war on Gaza, which has been recognised as genocide by rights groups and the UN.  - (ANA) - 

 

AB/ANA/05 October 2025  - - -