Israeli rights group calls for probe into rape of German journalist in central Israel prison

Israeli legal center Adalah on Sunday called for an investigation into the rape of a German journalist who participated in the 2025 Gaza-bound humanitarian aid mission Global Sumud Flotilla.

In a statement, Adalah said it filed a complaint to the Israeli authorities, demanding "a criminal investigation into the serious testimony given by the European activist," a German journalist.

Citing the journalist’s testimony, Adalah said Israeli female prison guards at Givon Prison in Ramla, central Israel, ordered the German journalist to strip completely naked while male guards watched from behind a curtain.

One of the female guards then sexually assaulted her, accompanied by the laughter of male guards, the center said.

"During the transfer of our client from the port to Ketziot Prison (in the Negev Desert), she, along with other participants in the flotilla, was subjected to physical and verbal violence inflicted by security forces and prison service employees," it added.

The violence included "restraining her for long periods, using plastic handcuffs, blindfolding, screaming, physical attacks, and threats," the statement noted.

The Global Sumud Flotilla sailed toward Gaza in 2025 to deliver much-needed aid to the blockaded territory.

Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million, 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.

The Israeli genocide in Gaza began in October 2023, killing nearly 73,000 Palestinians and wounding over 172,000 others, while destroying about 90% of Gaza’s infrastructure.

* Writing by Serdar Dincel.