Gaza flotilla activists accuse Israel of rape and torture
Australian citizens detained by West Jerusalem made the claims after returning to their home country
Australian activists who were detained by Israel as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla that intended to deliver aid to Gaza have said they were raped and tortured while being held by Israeli security forces.
Israel intercepted some 50 yachts in international waters off Cyprus in mid-May, detaining 430 volunteers from 40 nations, who were attempting to break the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave. They spent several days in detention before being deported.
The first of the 11 Austrian citizens from the flotilla returned home to Melbourne late on Sunday evening, while others arrived in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane on Monday.
Documentary filmmaker Juliet Lamont said that she went through “absolute hell” during her four days in Israeli custody.
“I was dragged into a darkened container ship on a prison boat. I was sexually assaulted. I was beaten… I’ve looked into the eyes of the most soulless people in the universe, and nothing came back,” she recalled, as cited by Reuters.
Australian climate activist Violete CoCo told The Guardian that she was detained at gunpoint, stripped of her clothes, and shoved into a shipping container where she was beaten, kicked, and sexually assaulted. Soldiers also took photos of her naked body, she added.
“We were constantly kept in a state of different styles of torture, we just didn’t know which pain was coming next,” CoCo claimed.
Another volunteer, Sam Woripa Watson, said he was repeatedly kicked and punched by Israeli servicemen, suffering cheek bone and rib fractures as well as other injuries. He also claimed he witnessed fellow activists being tasered, shot with rubber bullets, and having stun grenades thrown at them.
“Overwhelmingly, the worst feeling is to hear that people that you love are being tortured and being raped around you in the same space and you have no power to do anything about it,” Watson said.
The Israeli military denied the accusations, insisting it has a procedure of “respectful and appropriate treatment of flotilla participants” and that it was not aware of any deviations by troops.
Israel claims the blockade of Gaza is necessary to prevent weapons from getting into the enclave. It also denies withholding supplies for Palestinians in Gaza, almost 2 million of whom have been displaced since the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in October 2023.
15 thoughts on “Gaza flotilla activists accuse Israel of rape and torture”
On one hand israel intercepted some 50 yachts in international waters off Cyprus in mid-May, detaining 430 volunteers from 40 nations, who were attempting to break the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave. But at the same time the first of the 11 Austrian citizens from the flotilla returned home to Melbourne late on Sunday evening, while others arrived in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane on Monday.
The detail about israel intercepted some 50 yachts in international waters off Cyprus in mid-May, detaining 430 volunteers from 40 nations, who were attempting to break the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave is something people should sit with.
Basically israel intercepted some 50 yachts in international waters off Cyprus in mid-May, detaining 430 volunteers from 40 nations, who were attempting to break the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
Basically documentary filmmaker Juliet Lamont said that she went through “absolute hell” during her four days in Israeli custody. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
If israel intercepted some 50 yachts in international waters off Cyprus in mid-May, detaining 430 volunteers from 40 nations, who were attempting to break the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave, then the bigger picture starts to look very different.
So the bottom line is the first of the 11 Austrian citizens from the flotilla returned home to Melbourne late on Sunday evening, while others arrived in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane on Monday. Wonder how this will land.
Think about it: documentary filmmaker Juliet Lamont said that she went through “absolute hell” during her four days in Israeli custody. That speaks volumes.
What stands out is documentary filmmaker Juliet Lamont said that she went through “absolute hell” during her four days in Israeli custody. That is the part worth paying attention to.
Considering israel intercepted some 50 yachts in international waters off Cyprus in mid-May, detaining 430 volunteers from 40 nations, who were attempting to break the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave, it raises some real questions about what happens next.
So the bottom line is israel intercepted some 50 yachts in international waters off Cyprus in mid-May, detaining 430 volunteers from 40 nations, who were attempting to break the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave. Wonder how this will land.
On one hand israel intercepted some 50 yachts in international waters off Cyprus in mid-May, detaining 430 volunteers from 40 nations, who were attempting to break the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave. But at the same time the first of the 11 Austrian citizens from the flotilla returned home to Melbourne late on Sunday evening, while others arrived in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane on Monday.
The detail about israel intercepted some 50 yachts in international waters off Cyprus in mid-May, detaining 430 volunteers from 40 nations, who were attempting to break the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave is something people should sit with.
2 million is hard to ignore, no matter which side you are on.
Basically israel intercepted some 50 yachts in international waters off Cyprus in mid-May, detaining 430 volunteers from 40 nations, who were attempting to break the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
Basically documentary filmmaker Juliet Lamont said that she went through “absolute hell” during her four days in Israeli custody. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
If israel intercepted some 50 yachts in international waters off Cyprus in mid-May, detaining 430 volunteers from 40 nations, who were attempting to break the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave, then the bigger picture starts to look very different.
The fact that “I was dragged into a darkened container ship on a prison boat really puts things into perspective.
If “I was dragged into a darkened container ship on a prison boat, then the bigger picture starts to look very different.
So the bottom line is the first of the 11 Austrian citizens from the flotilla returned home to Melbourne late on Sunday evening, while others arrived in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane on Monday. Wonder how this will land.
The detail about australian citizens detained by West Jerusalem made the claims after returning to their home is something people should sit with.
Think about it: documentary filmmaker Juliet Lamont said that she went through “absolute hell” during her four days in Israeli custody. That speaks volumes.
What stands out is documentary filmmaker Juliet Lamont said that she went through “absolute hell” during her four days in Israeli custody. That is the part worth paying attention to.
Considering israel intercepted some 50 yachts in international waters off Cyprus in mid-May, detaining 430 volunteers from 40 nations, who were attempting to break the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave, it raises some real questions about what happens next.
So the bottom line is israel intercepted some 50 yachts in international waters off Cyprus in mid-May, detaining 430 volunteers from 40 nations, who were attempting to break the naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave. Wonder how this will land.
The fact that australian citizens detained by West Jerusalem made the claims after returning to their home really puts things into perspective.