BERLIN
Eight German activists detained by Israeli forces in international waters while part of the Global Sumud Flotilla returned home to a warm welcome at Berlin Brandenburg Airport.
Among them was Kubra Cinar, who reunited emotionally with her parents and told Anadolu that the group had faced harsh treatment while in Israeli custody.
“We were not allowed to meet our lawyers. Sick people were denied their medication. We were not given food for 48 hours, and for about 36 hours, no water at all,” she said. “Various forms of violence were used against us.”
Cinar criticized both Israel and the German government, saying that Berlin failed to protect its citizens.
“Germany is the second-largest supplier of weapons to Israel. As always, it chose to ignore Israel’s lawlessness and supported Israel instead of its own citizens,” she said.
Despite her experience, Cinar said she would continue to take part in such missions.
“We will not stop. We will keep going until the blockade on Gaza is lifted,” she added.
Another activist, Yasemin Acar, described similar conditions during detention, saying they were “locked in small spaces, kept under the sun for hours without food or water, and then beaten.”
“They have weapons, but what we have is love for the Palestinian people,” Acar said. “Even while being beaten, we kept shouting ‘Free Palestine.’”
Both women called attention to the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, with Acar saying: “The Palestinian people are living through genocide. Babies are being killed, and they call even tiny infants ‘terrorists.’”
Israeli naval forces attacked and seized vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla beginning Wednesday and detained more than 470 activists from over 50 countries.
The flotilla had been attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade of the enclave.
Israel has maintained the blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years.
Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed more than 67,100 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.