AMMAN, Jordan

Sumeyye Sena Polat, one of the Turkish activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla seeking to break Israel’s blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, recounted her experience after being detained by Israeli forces, saying: "What we experienced is nothing compared to what imprisoned Palestinians in Gaza endure."

Speaking to Anadolu, Polat said that she was illegally detained by Israeli soldiers and held at Negev Prison, the facility closest to Gaza, where she and others were subjected to ill-treatment.

“So, we were in the Negev Prison, 50 miles (80 kilometers) away from Gaza. The Negev Prison is the closest Israeli prison to Gaza, and most of the prisoners are the Gazan prisoners,” she said.

She said that they have seen lots of things on the prison walls.

“There were a lot of memories from the people. For example, in my cell, there was a Qibla; there was like a cage, and in the cage, there was a little bird that showed the Qibla. So, there was a life inside the cells. There were souvenirs there. There were memories,” she recounted.

“All eyes are not on the Flotilla or anywhere; all eyes are on Gaza. And we should not stop until the ceasefire happens.”

Ben-Gvir ‘cowardly’

“When we first arrived, (Israel’s far-right National Security Minister) Itamar Ben-Gvir was there. He said something like, ‘These are Hamas, these are terrorists, we will judge them under harsher conditions than the terrorists themselves.’”

Polat said Ben-Gvir was constantly surrounded by security personnel, adding: “But believe me, he was so cowardly. Every time someone (from detained activists) shouted ‘Free Palestine’ while he was speaking, he hid behind his guards. They live with the fear that they are on occupied land that does not belong to them, and they should live with that fear.”

She said the cell she was placed in had names written on the walls of various people from Gaza, which made her feel as though she was in Gaza herself.

Polat emphasized that the detainees faced verbal harassment and insults from Israeli personnel and that they were denied water for two days.

“We couldn’t access our medication. They woke us up every hour just to disturb us. In other words, there's a perverse mindset beyond evil. They reveled in it. But again, what we went through is nothing compared to the suffering of Palestinian prisoners. That’s why our eyes must remain on Gaza and on them. God willing, we will continue until a ceasefire is achieved.”

The flotilla, made up of activists from various nations, had set sail to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza when it was attacked by Israeli forces in international waters last week.

Israeli naval forces attacked and seized vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, detaining more than 470 activists from over 50 countries. The flotilla was trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade of the enclave.

Israel has maintained the blockade of Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years.

Since October 2023, Israeli military operations have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable, with widespread starvation and the spread of diseases.