Some of the activists detained while trying to reach Gaza by sea have returned to their home countries to describe mistreatment at the hands of Israeli guards, claims that Israel denies. Some 450 activists were arrested as Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet of 42 boats seeking to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid to the famine-stricken territory. Those detained between Wednesday and Friday were brought to Israel, where many remain in prison. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it offered voluntary deportation to all of the activists and those that remain in detention chose to stay there in order to go through a legal deportation process.
On his return at Rome's Fiumicino Airport late Saturday, Italian journalist Saverio Tommasi said Israeli soldiers withheld medicines and treated prisoners "like monkeys." Israel's Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said the claims of mistreatment were "brazen lies." Among those detained were Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela, and several European lawmakers. Tommasi said Thunberg was singled out by Israeli forces. "We also saw Greta Thunberg at the port, in that case with her arms tied and an Israeli flag next to her, just a mockery," he said. "Let's say the mockery was part of the verbal and psychological violence they always carried out, in order to demean, ridicule, and laugh in situations where there is nothing to laugh about."
The ministry said all detainees' legal rights had been "fully upheld," adding that Thunberg had not complained about the "ludicrous and baseless allegations—because they never occurred." Another Italian journalist, Lorenzo D'Agostino, said detainees were repeatedly woken during the two nights he spent behind bars. They were also intimidated with dogs and by soldiers pointing the laser sights of their guns at prisoners "to scare us," he said. Activist Paolo De Montis described being crammed into a prison van for hours with his hands secured by zip ties. "You weren't allowed to look them in the face, always had to keep your head down and when I did look up, a man … came and shook me and slapped me on the back of the head," he said. "They forced us to stay on our knees for four hours."
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Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he was "proud" of the way staff behaved at Ketziot prison. "Anyone who supports terrorism is a terrorist and deserves the conditions of terrorists," he said. "If any of them thought they would come here and receive a red carpet and trumpets—they were mistaken. They should get a good feel for the conditions in Ketziot prison and think twice before they approach Israel again."
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