Global Sumud Flotilla Activist Tortured After Israel Raids 22 Boats

(MENAFN) The Global Sumud Flotilla coalition has leveled grave accusations against Israeli forces, alleging that a Spanish activist of Palestinian origin was subjected to "systematic torture" following the seizure of more than 20 humanitarian vessels in international waters bound for Gaza — with two activists remaining in Israeli detention as a court extends their confinement.

Saif Abukeshek and Brazilian activist Thiago de Avila were among 175 civilians aboard a fleet of boats intercepted Thursday while attempting to defy Israel's long-standing siege on Gaza. The pair remain in custody after an Israeli court extended their detention by two days on Sunday, according to Adalah, an Israeli advocacy organization representing Palestinians inside Israel.

The coalition painted a chilling picture of events that unfolded following the raid.

"Following the illegal interception of 22 vessels belonging to the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in international waters less than 80 nautical miles west of the Greek island of Crete, 175 civilian participants were abducted from 21 boats," the flotilla said in a statement on its website.

The group said detainees were transferred onto the Israeli vessel NAHSHON, where they "were subjected to physical and verbal violence." Testimony from released activists, cited by the coalition, placed Abukeshek at the center of the most disturbing alleged abuses.

"Participant eyewitnesses provided harrowing testimony of Abukeshek's screams echoing throughout the ship as he was subjected to systematic torture after being separated from the others," the coalition said.

Thirty-six activists sustained injuries during the interception and were transferred to a hospital upon docking at the port of Lerapetra in southern Crete, the flotilla said, without specifying the nature of their wounds.

Legal bids by multiple judicial bodies to block the transfer of civilians from Greek territorial waters — in what the coalition called an "illegal operation" — proved unsuccessful. The group has since called for an investigation into the role of Greek authorities in permitting the Israeli vessel carrying detainees to depart.

The flotilla characterized the assault as "a dangerous escalation and an additional war crime," drawing a direct line between the attack and Gaza's suffocation under blockade.

"The same forces that starve the population tortured civilians trying to deliver safety to Gaza's residents," the statement said, urging the international community and European governments to demand the immediate release of Abukeshek and Avila and to publicly condemn the use of torture and unlawful detention against humanitarian activists.

The coalition also called for full accountability over alleged Israeli violations of international law — encompassing torture, unlawful detention, and attacks on civilians in international waters.

Israel's Foreign Ministry confirmed Friday that all other detained activists had been released, adding that Abukeshek and Avila would face further questioning. Adalah described their continued confinement as "the abduction of foreign nationals from international waters off Greek territorial waters."

Israel has enforced a blockade on Gaza since 2007. The war that erupted on Oct. 8, 2023 has killed more than 72,000 people and wounded over 172,000, according to Palestinian figures, displacing approximately 1.5 million residents and inflicting catastrophic damage on the enclave's infrastructure — including its hospitals and health facilities.

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