A Greek Coast Guard vessel transfers activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted on international waters by the Israeli Navy, at the port of Atherinolakkos, on the island of Crete, Greece, May 1, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
Youssef Ajissa, the head of the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza (ICBSG), relayed on Friday testimonies from the Global Sumud Flotilla activists that were subjected to Israel’s violations during their detention following the interception of their Gaza-bound aid mission.
Some activists who were able to give testimonies confirmed that a number of participants were subjected to “sexual violence, in addition to beatings, dragging, handcuffing, and blindfolding,” Ajissa told Anadolu.
He added that “Israeli violations included sexual assaults and harassment,” as well as beatings, describing what happened as “a blatant violation of human dignity.”
“These violations reveal the true nature of the Israeli entity, its criminality, and brutality, and the extent of its danger to the region and the world,” he said.
Read: Israel questions two Gaza flotilla activists
Speaking of what he described as “the weak international response to the incident,” Ajissa stressed: “We were shocked by the lack of widespread reaction and condemnation, especially from the European Union, regarding what the Zionist entity did.”
He added that “imposing sanctions on Israel has become a necessity because it is escalating its violations due to the absence of accountability.”
Ajissa also described the Israeli acts as “an extension of the violations” that Tel Aviv had been “committing in Gaza against international law and international institutions.”
Israel “publicises its practices with impunity, in the absence of serious international action,” he also said, asking: “If these activists of non-Arab and non-Muslim nationalities have been subjected to these violations, what is the situation of the people of Gaza and the occupied West Bank?”
He emphasised that “the danger posed by this entity is immense.”
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Ajissa called for the release of the two activists still in detention, Brazilian national Thiago Avila and Swedish national Saif Abu Keshek, noting that “the Israeli authorities have continued to detain and interrogate them for several days.”
He also demanded “protection for the ships that have set sail and those that will sail later towards the Gaza Strip, and guarantees that they will not be attacked or subjected to piracy in international waters or even in the territorial waters of some European countries.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla’s Spring 2026 mission, which aimed to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid, was intercepted by Israeli forces on April 29 off the coast of Crete.
Israeli forces intervened in international waters, attacking boats carrying activists around 600 nautical miles from Gaza and just a few miles from Greek territorial waters.
A total of 177 activists were detained and reportedly subjected to ill-treatment.
Reports said Avila and Abu Keshek, who had not been released since being forcibly taken to Israel, had been subjected to severe physical abuse and death threats during interrogation.
Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving the territory’s 2.4 million people on the verge of starvation.
The Israeli army launched a brutal two-year offensive on Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 72,000 people, injuring over 172,000, and causing massive destruction across the besieged territory.
