Israeli forces have been accused of mistreating and physically abusing Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg after detaining her from the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza.
The allegations surfaced after several international human rights activists who were released from Israeli custody spoke to the media upon returning home.
According to Turkish authorities, 137 detainees from the flotilla were repatriated to Istanbul on Saturday, including 36 Turkish nationals. The rest were activists from countries such as the United States, Italy, Malaysia, Kuwait, Switzerland, Tunisia, Libya, and Jordan.
Turkish journalist Ersin Çelik, who was part of the flotilla, told local media that he witnessed Israeli forces dragging Greta Thunberg across the ground, physically abusing her, and forcing her to kiss the Israeli flag.
Similar accounts came from Malaysian activist Hajwani Helmi and American activist Winfield Beaver, who arrived in Istanbul on the same flight. They claimed Thunberg was shoved and wrapped in an Israeli flag against her will.
“It was unbearable — they treated us like animals,” said Helmi, adding that detainees were denied food, clean water, and medicine throughout their detention.
Beaver said Thunberg was used as a “propaganda tool” and subjected to “horrifying” treatment. He claimed that Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered a room where Thunberg was being held and ordered officers to push her inside forcefully.
Italian journalist Lorenzo Agostino, who was also detained from the flotilla, told Turkey’s Anadolu Agency: “Greta Thunberg is a brave young woman — only 22. She was humiliated and displayed like a trophy, draped in the Israeli flag.”
Other activists echoed similar experiences. Turkish television presenter İkbal Gürpınar said, “We were treated like dogs. For three days we were not given food or water. We had to drink from the toilet. The heat was unbearable — we were literally burning.” She added that the experience made her “truly understand what Gazans are going through.”
Another Turkish activist, Ayçin Kantuglu, said they saw “walls stained with blood” inside Israeli detention centers. “Mothers had written their children’s names on the walls. We could feel, even slightly, the suffering Palestinians endure,” she told reporters.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani later confirmed that 26 Italian nationals had been repatriated, while 15 others remain detained in Israel.
Meanwhile, Israeli human rights organization Adalah reported that detainees were handcuffed and forced to kneel for hours without access to food, water, medicine, or toilets. They were also denied contact with lawyers, in violation of international human rights standards.
However, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected all allegations, calling them “completely false.”
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