Daijiworld Media Network – Istanbul

Istanbul, Oct 5: A total of 137 activists detained by Israel for attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza through a flotilla were deported and arrived in Turkey on Saturday, amid allegations that Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was mistreated during custody.

According to Turkish foreign ministry sources, the group included 36 Turkish nationals and citizens from countries including the US, UAE, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia, and Jordan.

Two activists — Hazwani Helmi from Malaysia and Windfield Beaver from the United States — told Reuters that they witnessed Thunberg being shoved and forced to wear an Israeli flag. “It was a disaster. They treated us like animals,” said Helmi, claiming detainees were denied clean food, water, and medication. Beaver alleged that Thunberg was “used as propaganda,” describing how she was pushed into a room as Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered.

Israel’s foreign ministry dismissed the claims as “complete lies,” insisting that all detainees were “safe and in good health” and that deportations were being completed “as quickly as possible.”

The Israeli navy intercepted the flotilla of around 40 boats, detaining over 450 participants in an operation that has drawn global criticism.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed that 26 Italians had been deported, while 15 more remained in Israel awaiting expulsion. “I have instructed our embassy in Tel Aviv to ensure all compatriots are treated with full respect for their rights,” Tajani stated.

Italian MP Arturo Scotto, one of the participants, said those aboard were “acting legally,” accusing Israeli forces of acting “brutally.” Fellow MP Benedetta Scuderi described the activists as “brutally stopped and taken hostage.”

The Israeli legal aid group Adalah alleged that several detainees were denied access to lawyers, water, and toilets, and were forced to kneel with hands zip-tied for hours. Israel, however, rejected all such accusations, stating that detainees’ “legal rights were fully upheld.”

The flotilla, which set sail in late August, aimed to challenge Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza. Israeli officials called the mission a “provocation” and warned against breaching what they described as a “lawful naval blockade,” as the Gaza war continues following Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel.