Several flotilla activists, who were detained by Israel last week for trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, testified about mistreatment by Israeli authorities. Israel denies the accusations.
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Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau are amongst 171 flotilla activists deported by Israel to Greece and Slovakia on Monday after a failed bid to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza last week.
The activists were detained by Israel in an operation which started last Wednesday night after its navy intercepted 44 civilain boats carrying a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza.
The flotilla's goal had been to break Israel's long-standing blockade of the Strip and to bring crucial aid into the war-ravaged enclave.
"The deportees are citizens of Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, Slovakia, Switzerland, Norway, the UK, Serbia, and the United States," Israel's Foreign Ministry wrote on X, attaching photograhs of the released activists in white T-shirts and grey sweatpants.
Several activists were already released over the weekend by Israel to Turkey, Spain and Italy. They spoke to reporters about the harsh conditions Thunberg and other prisoners were subjected to. Earlier, Swiss and Spanish activists said they were subject to inhumane conditions.
"We were detained in a maximum security prison where there was no rule of law, they didn’t respect any of our rights," former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau claimed.
Out of the 470 activists that were detained last week, 150 are still being held at Israel's Ktziot prison, Lubna Tuma, a lawyer representing the flotilla participants said, adding that 40 of them were on hunger strike.
"Some stated that they prefer that their food go to the people in Gaza," Tuma said during a briefing on Monday, adding that others were also refusing to drink water "until medical treatment is given to all detainees."
Tuma said that Israeli authorities have repeatedly violated activists' rights, starting with their interception in international waters, transfer to Israel and subsequent transfer to a maximum security prison where Tuma said detainees were subject to physical violence and humiliation.
Israeli authorities rejected the accusations, saying the rights of the activists were respected.
Israel's foreign ministry claims the only violence involved was when an activist bit a female medical staff member at the prison.