ANKARA: A total of 137 activists detained by Israel for taking part in the flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza arrived in Turkiye on Saturday after being deported, with two alleging that Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg was mistreated during her detention.
Israel did not immediately comment on the latest allegation, but its foreign ministry earlier described reports that detainees had been mistreated as “complete lies”.
The 137 activists who landed at Istanbul Airport included 36 Turkish nationals, as well as citizens from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia and Jordan.
Two of them, Hazwani Helmi, a Malaysian citizen, and Windfield Beaver, an American, said at the airport that they had witnessed Thunberg being mistreated, saying she was shoved and forced to wear an Israeli flag.
“It was a disaster. They treated us like animals,” said Helmi, 28, adding that detainees were not provided with clean food or water and that medication and belongings were confiscated.
Beaver, 43, said Thunberg was “treated terribly’’ and “used as propaganda”, describing how she was pushed into a room as Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived.
Israel has faced international condemnation after its military intercepted all of about 40 boats in the Gaza-bound aid flotilla and detained more than 450 activists.
Its foreign ministry wrote on X that all detained activists were “safe and in good health”, adding it was keen to complete the remaining deportations “as quickly as possible”.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said 26 Italians were on board the Turkish Airlines flight, with another 15 still held in Israel and set to be expelled over the next few days.
“I have once again given instructions to the Italian embassy in Tel Aviv to ensure that the remaining compatriots are treated with respect for their rights,” Tajani wrote on X.
A first group of Italians from the flotilla — four parliamentarians — arrived in Rome on Friday.
“We were brutally stopped … brutally taken hostage,” said Benedetta Scuderi, one of the parliamentarians.
‘Zip-tied for five hours’
According to Adalah, an Israeli group offering legal assistance to flotilla members, some detainees were denied access to lawyers, water and medications.
They were also “forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied for at least five hours, after some participants chanted ’Free Palestine’,” Adalah said.
Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2025
