Tarek Chouiref
21 May 2026•Update: 21 May 2026
Activists detained from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud aid flotilla were subjected to electric shocks and physical and psychological abuse while in Israeli custody, according to testimonies documented by the Israeli rights group Adalah on Wednesday.
The group said at least three activists had been hospitalized with serious injuries, while dozens of others were suspected of suffering broken ribs and breathing difficulties due to violence during detention.
Adalah said its legal team had collected matching testimonies documenting repeated use of electric shocks against detained activists.
It also documented accounts of detainees being forced into painful and humiliating positions during their transfer to Ashdod Port, including walking while fully bent forward and kneeling for prolonged periods.
According to Adalah, Israeli authorities also forcibly removed the headscarves of several female activists participating in the flotilla.
The group said detainees are expected to appear Thursday before a court or relevant authority to review their detention ahead of deportation procedures.
Earlier Wednesday, Adalah accused Israeli authorities of pursuing a “criminal policy of abuse and humiliation” after footage shared on social media by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir showed activists kneeling with their hands cuffed behind their backs and their faces toward the floor while the Israeli national anthem played in the background.
The activists were transferred to Ashdod Port after Israel intercepted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters.
Information regarding the whereabouts, legal status and well-being of the detainees has also been “severely restricted,” according to Adalah.
The flotilla departed last Thursday from the Turkish district of Marmaris in a new attempt to break the illegal Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007.
This was not the first such incident involving the flotilla.
In late April, the Israeli army attacked flotilla boats in international waters off the Greek island of Crete. The convoy at the time included 345 participants from 39 countries, including Turkish citizens.
Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving the territory’s 2.4 million people on the verge of starvation.
The Israeli army launched a brutal two-year offensive on Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 72,000 people, injuring over 172,000 and causing massive destruction across the besieged territory.
