JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL

Several activists detained from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla were subjected to physical violence in Israeli detention, an Israeli legal center said Thursday.

Israeli naval forces attacked a 9-boat convoy by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) heading to Gaza to break Israel’s illegal blockade on Wednesday and detained around 150 activists aboard.

“Some flotilla participants reported physical abuse, humiliation, and inhuman treatment during and after the interception, including being kicked, slapped, having their hair pulled, or being grabbed aggressively by soldiers,” Adalah Legal Center said in a statement.

“Some were forced into stressful positions, including being made to kneel for hours with their heads down and hands restrained behind their backs, or to sit on their knees for extended periods, in some cases while exposed to the sun.

“Some participants reported being mocked, insulted, and coerced into repeating degrading statements, including declarations of love for Israel or denigration of their own countries,” it added.

Adalah said its attorneys attended over 50 tribunal hearings for flotilla activists at Ktzi’ot Prison in the Negev on Thursday.

Lawyers “continue to receive reports of aggressive and violent conduct during and following Israel’s unlawful interception of their vessels, as well as poor detention conditions, including inadequate access to drinking water and, in some instances, physical and verbal abuse,” it added.

The legal center said that over 20 activists have not yet been able to meet with attorneys, “in a clear denial of access to legal counsel.”

Adalah also represented three participants with Israeli citizenship, including dual nationals, on Thursday before the Magistrate’s Court in Ashkelon.

Israel, as the occupying power, has previously attacked several Gaza-bound ships, seized their cargo and deported activists on board.

It has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for nearly 18 years and tightened the siege in March when it closed border crossings and blocked food and medicine deliveries, pushing the enclave into famine.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable. A ceasefire agreement was announced on Thursday to end two years of Israeli bombardment on the enclave.