Some 137 activists detained by Israel for taking part in a flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza arrived in Turkey on Saturday, with two alleging that Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg was mistreated during her detention. Thunberg herself remains in Israeli custody.
The Foreign Ministry described reports that detainees had been mistreated as “complete lies,” and added on Sunday afternoon that 29 activists were deported on Sunday to Spain, citizens of Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands.
“Israel is keen to have all the participants of this provocation deported as quickly as possible, but some of them deliberately chose to prolong the legal deportation process, preferring to linger in Israel,” said the Foreign Ministry.
The Activists who had landed earlier at Istanbul Airport included 36 Turkish nationals, as well as citizens from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia and Jordan, Turkish foreign ministry sources said.
Two of them, Hazwani Helmi, a Malaysian citizen, and Windfield Beaver, an American citizen, told Reuters at the airport that they had witnessed Thunberg being mistreated, saying she was shoved and forced to wear an Israeli flag.
“All the detainees’ legal rights are fully upheld,” the statement said.
“It was a disaster. They treated us like animals,” said Helmi, 28, adding that detainees were not provided with clean food or water and that medication and belongings were confiscated.
Beaver, 43, said Thunberg was “treated terribly” and “used as propaganda,” describing how she was pushed into a room as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that Thunberg and other flotilla activists detained by Israel deserve to receive the conditions of terrorists in prison because “anyone who supports terror is a terrorist,” in a Sunday statement.
The statement came after various reports that Thunberg and other activists were subjected to harsh treatment in prison after approximately 450 activists were detained by Israel for taking part in a flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza last week.
“Anyone who supports terror is a terrorist and deserves the conditions of terrorists,” Ben-Gvir stated.
“If any of them thought they would come here and be greeted with a red carpet and fanfare, they were mistaken,” he added.
Ben-Gvir also said that he had visited the Ketziot Prison in the Negev near Beersheba, where many of the activists were being detained.
During the visit, Ben-Gvir said he “took pride in the fact that we treat the ‘flotilla activists’ as terror supporters.”
“They should feel what the conditions in Ketziot Prison are like, and think twice before approaching Israel again. That’s how it works.”
“I am proud of the officers of the Israel Prison Service (IPS) who acted in accordance with the policy set by [IPS Chief Commissioner] Kobi Yaakobi and me,” he said.
Ben-Gvir added that he had visited the flotilla and “didn’t see humanitarian aid or compassion.”
“I saw one can of baby formula and a whole gang of people pretending to be human rights activists, who in fact came to support terror and celebrate at our expense,” he said.
The Foreign Ministry stated that the claims regarding the mistreatment of Thunberg and other detainees from the flotilla “are brazen lies,” shortly after Ben-Gvir's statement on Sunday.
“All the detainees’ legal rights are fully upheld,” the statement said.
The Ministry later added, “All the legal rights of the participants in this PR stunt are fully upheld. Don’t believe the fake news they are spreading.”
“Interestingly enough, Greta herself and other detainees refused to expedite their deportation and insisted on prolonging their stay in custody,” the Foreign Ministry said.
“Greta also did not complain to the Israeli authorities about any of these ludicrous and baseless allegations - because they never occurred,” the statement added.
Cell infested with bedbugs
An official who visited Thunberg in prison claimed that Thunberg was being held in a cell infested with bedbugs, with little food and water, according to a Saturday report by The Guardian.
Adalah, a legal aid group which is offering legal assistance to flotilla members, said that Ben-Gvir’s statements “represent a blatant endorsement of inhumane treatment, abuse, and intimidation of the flotilla participants as state policy.
It added, “Israel is applying tactics normally reserved for Palestinians in its custody, who are routinely subjected to systemic torture and horrific abuse. The treatment of flotilla participants has been unlawful from the very outset, beginning with the interception of the ships, preventing them from breaking the blockade and delivering humanitarian aid amid an ongoing genocide in Gaza, continuing with Israeli authorities treating them as having ‘illegally entered’ the country despite being abducted from international waters, and culminating in their detention under harsh and degrading conditions that violate international law.”
It further noted, “This conduct, explicitly endorsed by [Ben-Gvir] with authority over the IPS, demonstrates a deliberate use of repression against peaceful activists, human rights defenders, and individuals who seek to confront Israel’s ongoing crimes against Palestinians.”
Israel has faced international condemnation after its military intercepted all of about 40 boats in a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza and detained more than 450 activists.
The Foreign Ministry wrote on X that all detained activists were “safe and in good health,” adding it was keen to complete the remaining deportations “as quickly as possible.”
In a separate X post, the ministry accused some flotilla members of “deliberately obstructing” the deportation process, without providing evidence. Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegation.
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said 26 Italians were on board the Turkish Airlines flight, with another 15 still held in Israel and set to be expelled over the next few days - along with activists from other nations.
“I have once again given instructions to the Italian Embassy in Tel Aviv to ensure that the remaining compatriots are treated with respect for their rights,” Tajani wrote on X.
A first group of Italians from the flotilla - four parliamentarians - arrived in Rome on Friday.
“Those who were acting legally were the people aboard those boats; those who acted illegally were those who prevented them from reaching Gaza” Arturo Scotto, one of the Italian lawmakers who took part in the mission, told a press conference in Rome.
“We were brutally stopped... brutally taken hostage,” said Benedetta Scuderi, another Italian parliamentarian.
According to Adalah, some detainees were denied access to lawyers, water, medications, and toilets.
They were also “forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied for at least five hours, after some participants chanted ‘Free Palestine,’” Adalah said.
Israel denied the allegations. “All of Adalah’s claims are complete lies. Of course, all detainees... were given access to water, food, and restrooms; they were not denied access to legal counsel, and all their legal rights were fully upheld,” a foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters.
The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. The war on Hamas was started by Israel on October 7, 2023, when the terrorist led a cross-border massacre attack against southern Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Hamas is currently holding 48 people hostage as the deadline set by US President Donald Trump to accept his 21-point plan looms.
Israeli officials repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt and warned it against violating a “lawful naval blockade.”
Some 137 activists detained by Israel for taking part in a flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza arrived in Turkey on Saturday after being deported, with two alleging that Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg was mistreated during her detention. Thunberg herself remains in Israeli custody.
Israel did not immediately comment on the new allegations, but its foreign ministry earlier described reports that detainees had been mistreated as “complete lies.”
The activists who landed at Istanbul Airport included 36 Turkish nationals, as well as citizens from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia and Jordan, Turkish foreign ministry sources said.
Two of them, Hazwani Helmi, a Malaysian citizen, and Windfield Beaver, an American citizen, told Reuters at the airport that they had witnessed Thunberg being mistreated, saying she was shoved and forced to wear an Israeli flag.
“It was a disaster. They treated us like animals,” said Helmi, 28, adding that detainees were not provided with clean food or water and that medication and belongings were confiscated.
Beaver, 43, said Thunberg was “treated terribly” and “used as propaganda,” describing how she was pushed into a room as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that Thunberg and other flotilla activists detained by Israel deserve to receive the conditions of terrorists in prison because “anyone who supports terror is a terrorist,” in a Sunday statement.
The statement came after various reports that Thunberg and other activists were subjected to harsh treatment in prison after approximately 450 activists were detained by Israel for taking part in a flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza last week.
“Anyone who supports terror is a terrorist and deserves the conditions of terrorists,” Ben-Gvir stated.
“If any of them thought they would come here and be greeted with a red carpet and fanfare, they were mistaken,” he added.
Ben-Gvir also said that he had visited the Ketziot Prison in the Negev near Beersheba, where many of the activists were being detained.
During the visit, Ben-Gvir said he “took pride in the fact that we treat the ‘flotilla activists’ as terror supporters.”
“They should feel what the conditions in Ketziot Prison are like, and think twice before approaching Israel again. That’s how it works.”
“I am proud of the officers of the Israel Prison Service (IPS) who acted in accordance with the policy set by [IPS Chief Commissioner] Kobi Yaakobi and me,” he said.
Ben-Gvir added that he had visited the flotilla and “didn’t see humanitarian aid or compassion.”
“I saw one can of baby formula and a whole gang of people pretending to be human rights activists, who in fact came to support terror and celebrate at our expense,” he said.
The Foreign Ministry stated that the claims regarding the mistreatment of Thunberg and other detainees from the flotilla “are brazen lies,” shortly after Ben-Gvir's statement on Sunday.
“All the detainees’ legal rights are fully upheld,” the statement said.
“Interestingly enough, Greta herself and other detainees refused to expedite their deportation and insisted on prolonging their stay in custody,” the Foreign Ministry said.
“Greta also did not complain to the Israeli authorities about any of these ludicrous and baseless allegations - because they never occurred,” the statement added.
An official who visited Thunberg in prison claimed that Thunberg was being held in a cell infested with bedbugs, with little food and water, according to a Saturday report by The Guardian.
Adalah, a legal aid group that is offering legal assistance to flotilla members, said that Ben-Gvir’s statements “represent a blatant endorsement of inhumane treatment, abuse, and intimidation of the flotilla participants as state policy.
It added, “Israel is applying tactics normally reserved for Palestinians in its custody, who are routinely subjected to systemic torture and horrific abuse.
The treatment of flotilla participants has been unlawful from the very outset, beginning with the interception of the ships, preventing them from breaking the blockade and delivering humanitarian aid amid an ongoing genocide in Gaza, continuing with Israeli authorities treating them as having ‘illegally entered’ the country despite being abducted from international waters, and culminating in their detention under harsh and degrading conditions that violate international law.”
It further noted, “This conduct, explicitly endorsed by [Ben-Gvir] with authority over the IPS, demonstrates a deliberate use of repression against peaceful activists, human rights defenders, and individuals who seek to confront Israel’s ongoing crimes against Palestinians.”
Israel has faced international condemnation after its military intercepted all of about 40 boats in a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza and detained more than 450 activists.
The Foreign Ministry wrote on X that all detained activists were “safe and in good health,” adding it was keen to complete the remaining deportations “as quickly as possible.”
In a separate X post, the ministry accused some flotilla members of “deliberately obstructing” the deportation process, without providing evidence. Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegation.
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said 26 Italians were on board the Turkish Airlines flight, with another 15 still held in Israel and set to be expelled over the next few days - along with activists from other nations.
“I have once again given instructions to the Italian Embassy in Tel Aviv to ensure that the remaining compatriots are treated with respect for their rights,” Tajani wrote on X.
A first group of Italians from the flotilla - four parliamentarians - arrived in Rome on Friday.
“Those who were acting legally were the people aboard those boats; those who acted illegally were those who prevented them from reaching Gaza” Arturo Scotto, one of the Italian lawmakers who took part in the mission, told a press conference in Rome.
“We were brutally stopped... brutally taken hostage,” said Benedetta Scuderi, another Italian parliamentarian.
According to Adalah, some detainees were denied access to lawyers, water, medications, and toilets.
They were also “forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied for at least five hours, after some participants chanted ‘Free Palestine,’” Adalah said.
Israel denied the allegations. “All of Adalah’s claims are complete lies. Of course, all detainees... were given access to water, food, and restrooms; they were not denied access to legal counsel, and all their legal rights were fully upheld,” a foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters.
The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. The war on Hamas was started by Israel on October 7, 2023, when the terrorists led a cross-border massacre attack against southern Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. Hamas is currently holding 48 people hostage as the deadline set by US President Donald Trump to accept his 21-point plan looms.
Israeli officials repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt and warned it against violating a “lawful naval blockade.”