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A British journalist who took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla praised Türkiye’s hospitality after being deported from Israel, saying Ankara’s most important contribution was ensuring the activists received medical and legal aid and helping gather “evidence of crimes against humanity.”
Kieran Andrieu, one of 13 British nationals detained when Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla in international waters, spoke to Turkish news agency Anadolu at London’s Heathrow Airport late Sunday after arriving from Türkiye with fellow activists Sarah Wilkinson, Francis Cummings, and Evie Snedker.
He described the journey as arduous but said solidarity and shared purpose kept the group strong. “We were held together by, first and foremost, our love of Palestine and our love of the people of Gaza,” Andrieu said.
“Second, by the bonds of loyalty we developed with one another after being on the boat for a period of time, and so that carried us through," he added.
Andrieu said the group endured drone surveillance, logistical challenges, and severe weather, but called these “nothing compared to the daily travails forced upon Palestinians by an occupying, genocidal state.”
“It was illegal under international law for them to board our boat,” he said. “We had every right, as long as the people of Gaza want us in their territorial waters.”
Recounting his detention, Andrieu said the activists were denied water for long periods—a violation of the Geneva Convention, he noted.
“We were brought blindfolded, tied on a bus that was freezing cold in the middle of the night, to a prison in the Negev desert, where Palestinian prisoners have been tortured in the past,” he said.
He added that 10 to 12 people were crammed into small cells and deprived of essential medicines.
“People had their medicines thrown away in front of them,” he said. “I saw people with heart conditions of all ages, including people in their 80s, have their medicine thrown away.”
Responding to Israeli officials’ claims that the flotilla participants were “terrorists,” Andrieu called the accusation “pathetic.”
“Interesting — terrorists whose only weapons are baby formula, food, packets of rice and medicines,” he said. “The only terrorists are the people committing genocide.”
Andrieu said some detainees were forced to kneel for six hours, calling it “a lesser but clear form of torture.” He also recounted a night when one detainee suffered what appeared to be a heart attack but was ignored by prison staff. “There was a doctor in the prison,” he said, “but they were willing to let him die.”
Andrieu praised Türkiye for its support following his deportation. “It was really nice. And thank you to the Turks,” he said.
“They provided us with good food and comfortable beds. But the most important thing they did was take us to doctors, take us to lawyers and gather evidence of crimes against humanity," he added.
Israel has deported around 170 flotilla participants over the past few days, most to Istanbul, with smaller groups sent to Italy and Spain, according to Israeli legal center Adalah.
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Israeli naval forces attacked and seized the Global Sumud Flotilla beginning Wednesday, detaining more than 470 activists from over 50 countries. The flotilla had sought to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s 18-year blockade.
Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, and rendered the enclave uninhabitable, according to local health authorities and U.N. agencies.
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