Foreign Activists from the Global Sumud Fleet Describe Violence Inflicted by Israel

Kokcha News Agency: Activists from the Global Sumud Fleet, who were attacked by Israeli forces in international waters and subsequently detained, have recounted the violence they experienced. They expressed their deep gratitude to Turkey for ensuring their safe return.

Argentinian activist Gonzalo Di Pretoro, who arrived at Istanbul Airport via Turkish Airlines, described the rough treatment by Israeli authorities. Pretoro, who has undergone an amputation on his right foot, stated, “I told them I needed special shoes, but they brought me simple ones. When I insisted, they pushed and kicked me. They were very aggressive towards us.”

Moroccan-born French citizen Yasin Benjelloyn shared that the behavior of the Israelis gave them a glimpse of what Palestinians endure daily. “What they did to us was to prevent those who needed medicine from getting it. After 32 hours, they only gave us water. We had almost no food. At 3 AM, they woke us up with dogs and snipers. They woke us up every two hours to prevent us from sleeping. They did this to us, civilians, innocent people. This only makes us imagine what they do to Palestinians,” he said. Benjelloyn added, “We must thank Turkey for bringing us home safely.”

Italian journalist Lorenzo Agostino described being kidnapped in international waters and then taken to land. “Once on land, they treated us like a terrorist group. They kicked people. For more than two days, they didn’t give us clean water. They humiliated us at every opportunity. Greta Thunberg, a brave 22-year-old woman, was humiliated and wrapped in an Israeli flag like a trophy. I truly felt like I was in a barbaric place, and I hope this barbarism ends soon,” he said. Agostino also mentioned that Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was present at the port when they arrived, treating them as if they were terrorists.

Kuwaiti citizen Mohammad Jamal revealed that around 700 Israeli special forces were involved in the operation against them. “Our boat was seized by 20 soldiers at 6 AM. We were kept under the sun for 12 hours until we reached Ashdod Port. They treated us very badly. During this time, we didn’t eat anything and were only allowed to drink water. When we arrived at Ashdod, the police treated us horribly,” he said. Jamal added that some of his friends were beaten, but the global outcry likely prevented worse treatment.

Libyan former Prime Minister Omar al-Hassi stated that the intervention against their fleet occurred in international waters. He recounted how they tried to explain to Israeli soldiers that they were civilian activists delivering aid to Gaza, but the soldiers ignored their pleas and took them to the port. Al-Hassi described being handcuffed and held in degrading conditions, with Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir accusing them of supporting Hamas.

Swiss activist Tabea Zouk shared that she felt the Israelis treated her better due to her white skin and Swiss passport, but she still faced harassment. “They made us kneel in the sun for an hour just to humiliate us. They treated us like terrorists to make us feel bad,” she said.

Argentinian activist Nicolas Calabrese emphasized that their rights were violated in international waters. “They kidnapped us at gunpoint, even though we had no weapons. They pushed us, forced us to bow our heads, and even hit us. They didn’t let us talk to each other to understand what was happening or where our friends were. I could only talk to my mother after three days. This is a major violation of our rights, but what they do to the Palestinian people is much worse,” he said.

Italian activist Tommaso Bortolazzi, the captain of the “Maria Cristina” ship, revealed that he converted to Islam while in prison. “We went through very difficult days in prison. My friends from Turkey were mostly Muslim. When the Israeli police came in and stopped them from praying, I felt the need to stand against it. Later, I recited the Shahada with my friend, and it felt like being reborn. I’m very happy,” he said.