BRUSSELS 

Sweden's Foreign Ministry on Sunday refrained from confirming media reports that Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla to break the Gaza blockade, was subjected to mistreatment by Israeli authorities, including being forced to pose for a photo with an Israeli flag.

In a statement to Anadolu, officials said the ministry and the Swedish Embassy in Tel Aviv "have acted intensively to ensure that the detained Swedes' rights are observed" and that representatives met the detainees and are maintaining contact with their relatives.

It added that efforts to secure further consular access are ongoing.

"The Ministry and Embassy are working on the case continuously and will seek further consular access on Sunday. For reasons of consular confidentiality, we cannot go into any further detail as regards individual consular cases," the statement added.

Thunberg, 22, was among the over 400 activists, parliamentarians, and lawyers detained after Israel attacked the aid flotilla vessels this week. Some of them have been deported, while proceedings for others are underway. 

Bedbugs, insufficient food and water

Thunberg, according to correspondence seen by The Guardian, told Swedish officials she had been held in a cell infested with bedbugs and provided insufficient water and food.

Israeli forces, the British newspaper said, are also reported by another detainee to have taken photographs where Thunberg was allegedly forced to hold flags.

Other flotilla participants corroborated the claims of Thunberg's mistreatment. Turkish activist Ersin Celik told Anadolu that Israeli forces "severely tortured Greta before our eyes," and "made her crawl and made her kiss the Israeli flag."

Italian journalist Lorenzo D'Agostino said she was "wrapped in the Israeli flag and paraded like a trophy."

Lawyers from the NGO Adalah said the detainees were denied food, water, and immediate legal access, in violation of their fundamental rights.