【Text by Observer Net, Qi Qian】
Several days ago, more than 450 members of the international Gaza aid flotilla were arrested and detained by the Israeli military. So far, fewer than one-third have been released, and Greta Thunberg from Sweden is not among them.
On October 4th, local time, a total of 137 released activists arrived in Istanbul, Turkey. Upon landing, they exposed the "violent abuse" that the Israeli military had inflicted on them to international media such as Anadolu Agency, TRT, and CNN.
"They beat Greta Thunberg by pulling her hair and forced her to crawl and kiss the Israeli flag";
"Greta Thunberg was publicly humiliated and wrapped in the Israeli flag, displayed like a trophy"…
According to a similar report by The Guardian, Greta Thunberg, who is still detained by the Israeli military, told Swedish officials that she had been treated harshly, "being kept in a cell full of bedbugs with insufficient food and water". A Swedish Foreign Ministry official revealed in an email to Greta Thunberg's relatives that other detainees confirmed that they saw Greta Thunberg "forced to take photos holding the Israeli flag".
Footage of Greta Thunberg being arrested by the Israeli military on October 1st
Released individuals accuse the Israeli military of "abuse"
According to Anadolu Agency, after the activists of the international humanitarian aid flotilla "Global Sumud Flotilla" (GSF) safely arrived in Istanbul, they recounted the experience of the Israeli military attacking the flotilla, as well as the physical and psychological violence they suffered during detention.
Activist Hashem Yazeed said, "We couldn't reach Gaza. Israel treated us like terrorists, detaining us for about three days in international waters, forcing us to stay in prison, and subjecting us to both physical and mental abuse."
Yazeed said that the treatment of the activists on each ship was different, with some forced to wear plastic handcuffs for up to 16 hours.
Another activist, Iqbal Gulpinar, bluntly stated that Israel once again revealed its pitiful side, exposing its true face. Gulpinar said he was kept in the same cell as an Italian parliament member.
"They did incredible things to us, treating us like dogs," Gulpinar recalled, "they wanted us to cry, but we never cried... They left us hungry, providing only one dish of food for a room of 14 people. We tried to drink water from the toilet tap. Despite our desperate pleas, they still didn't give us water."
According to multiple activists, they were stripped and searched. "Almost at every checkpoint, we were repeatedly searched. They checked our mouths, even our teeth gaps. They tried to treat us like terrorists."
Turkish activist Mehmet Emin Yerlidirem mentioned that Israeli right-wing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the detention site, but was confronted by the detained activists. Yerlidirem said, "Everyone told him in his face that they were the terrorists. The real terrorists are those committing genocide in Gaza. Therefore, Ben-Gvir had to leave, angry but speechless."
According to reports, on the evening of October 2nd, Ben-Gvir referred to the detained individuals as "terrorists" during his visit. A video circulating on social media showed him pointing to dozens of activists sitting on the ground and saying in Hebrew, "These are terrorists." The activists then shouted, "Free Palestine."
"They pulled Greta Thunberg's hair and beat her"
As of now, Greta Thunberg is still detained by the Israeli military. Multiple activists have confirmed that she has been beaten and abused by the Israeli military.
"Greta Thunberg is only 22 years old. She was humiliated and wrapped in the Israeli flag, displayed like a trophy," said Italian journalist Lorenzo Agostino to the media, "They used every opportunity to humiliate anyone. At that time, I felt like I was in a barbaric place."
Agostino said that seeing all this, he felt incredible and angry.
Turkish activist and flotilla member Elsin Celik also said that Greta Thunberg was subjected to violent abuse by Israel.
He told CNN Turkish channel, "They pulled Greta Thunberg's hair and beat her in front of us, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything they could to do to her, to warn others."
Release crew expose Israeli "abuse" behavior, screenshot of tweets
According to reports, a Swedish Foreign Ministry official recently visited Greta Thunberg, who is still detained, and sent a letter to her relatives informing them of her situation. According to the content of the letter seen by The Guardian, Greta Thunberg stated that she was kept in a cell full of bedbugs with insufficient food and water.
"The embassy has been able to meet with Greta Thunberg," the letter read, "she reported dehydration. The amount of drinking water and food she received was insufficient. She also said she had a rash and suspected it was caused by bedbugs. She spoke of harsh treatment and said she had been sitting on a hard floor for a long time."
The Swedish official's letter mentioned: "Another detainee said they saw Greta Thunberg being forced to take photos holding the flag. Greta Thunberg asked if her photo had been spread. The letter did not mention the specific content of the flag."
The letter also stated that Greta Thunberg was asked by Israeli authorities to sign a document, which she refused.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry stated that its embassy officials visited nine Swedish citizens who were detained on October 3rd. The statement read: "The embassy emphasized the possibility of quickly resolving the situation and releasing Swedish citizens, and stressed the importance of addressing individual medical needs. In addition, the embassy emphasized that food and clean water must be provided immediately, and all detained individuals must be given access to Israeli lawyers of their choice."
Greta Thunberg wearing a "decolonize" T-shirt, detained footage Social media
Lawyer: Israel "systematically violates" the rights of detained individuals
The "Global Sumud Flotilla" (GSF) set sail from Spain on August 31st, carrying humanitarian aid, aiming to "break the illegal siege of Gaza by Israel". "Sumud" means "steadfast" in Arabic. According to GSF, this mission involved more than 40 ships and over 450 activists from more than 44 countries, and protests and camping were carried out simultaneously during the voyage.
GSF fleet issued a statement saying, "Future generations will remember this moment. We cannot remain silent while the people of Gaza are facing genocide and ethnic cleansing. The people of the world will unite until Palestine gains freedom."
However, on October 1st, local time, the Israeli military intercepted all the ships and subsequently arrested all the members of the flotilla. According to reports, most of them were detained in Kefar Darom Prison, located in the desert area, a heavily guarded prison previously used to detain Palestinian prisoners, many of whom were accused by Israel of participating in radical or terrorist activities.
Afterwards, protest movements erupted in Geneva, Paris, and other European cities. On the 3rd, hundreds of thousands of Italians responded to the call of unions, taking to the streets across the country for a nationwide general strike, expressing support for the Gaza aid flotilla arrested by the Israeli military.
From October 3rd, Italy experienced a general strike, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets to support Gaza, video screenshot
After being arrested, the legal team of the flotilla expressed concerns about the possible treatment of the detained members.
The Guardian mentioned that this is Greta Thunberg's second arrest with the flotilla members. In June this year, Greta Thunberg boarded a ship that was planned to deliver humanitarian supplies to the Gaza region. However, the Israeli military forcibly boarded the ship and prevented it. At that time, some people present pointed out that they had personally seen Israelis laughing and deliberately depriving the arrested individuals of sleep, especially targeting Greta Thunberg.
Regarding the accusations of the activists, the Israeli side denied them, calling these "complete lies".
However, according to the lawyer of the non-governmental organization "Adala" (Arabic for "justice"), the rights of the detained individuals have been "systematically violated", as they have been deprived of water, hygiene, medicine, and the opportunity to contact legal representatives immediately, "which clearly violates their fundamental rights to due process, fair trial, and legal representation".
The Italian legal team representing the flotilla also confirmed that the detained individuals were "without food or water for several hours" and reported instances of verbal and physical abuse by the Israelis. The team specifically mentioned that the exception was "a bag of chips given to Greta Thunberg and displayed in front of the camera".
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