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The Turkish Airlines flight that touched down at Istanbul Airport on Saturday afternoon carried more than just 137 weary activists. It brought home harrowing accounts of detention conditions that the returning members of the Global Sumud Flotilla say they endured after Israeli forces intercepted their Gaza-bound humanitarian mission in international waters.
Among the 36 Turkish citizens and 23 Malaysians who stepped off the plane at 3:50 p.m. were voices eager to tell their stories of what they described as systematic mistreatment during their days in Israeli custody. Their accounts paint a picture of deliberate psychological pressure, physical deprivation, and what they characterize as attempts to break their spirits.
The activists described a detention experience marked by what they say was deliberate deprivation of basic necessities. Aycin Kantoglu, one of the Turkish participants, recounted how Israeli authorities allegedly denied them clean drinking water, forcing detainees to consume water from toilet faucets. "They didn't give us clean water, they told us to drink from the toilets. We went nearly 40 hours without food," Kantoglu told reporters.
The physical conditions, according to the activists, were deliberately harsh. Said Ercan, speaking to NTV, described being held in reverse handcuffs for five hours and being packed into overcrowded cells. "We stayed with reverse handcuffs for 5 hours. When we went to prison, they didn't give us water, we had to drink water from the toilet," Ercan said, adding that 15 people were crammed into cells designed for five.
Osman Cetinkaya, who was aboard what he described as the flagship vessel, said the pressure intensified when detainees showed resistance. "When we showed our reaction, they increased their violence even more," Cetinkaya explained. "They tried to keep us under constant pressure in prison, waking us throughout the night and changing our locations."
Perhaps the most serious allegations centered around the treatment of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who had joined the flotilla. Multiple activists claimed they witnessed what they described as particularly harsh treatment and torment directed at the internationally known figure.
Journalist Ersin Celik, speaking on CNN Turk's live broadcast, made explicit allegations about Thunberg's treatment. "They tortured Greta very severely before our eyes. They oppressed Greta, she's just a small child. They made her crawl, forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did exactly what the Nazis did," Celik stated.
Kantoglu corroborated these accounts, telling reporters that witnesses saw Thunberg being physically struck. "There were those who saw that they hit her. They tied her hands behind her back with the Israeli flag and made her walk," she said.
The activists described how Thunberg's presence seemed to particularly agitate their captors, with several noting that the treatment of all detainees appeared to worsen after interactions involving the climate activist.
The detention took on additional dimensions when high-ranking Israeli officials visited the facilities. Multiple activists described a tense encounter with Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who came to address the detainees along with journalists.
Kantoglu provided a detailed account of this confrontation: "They had put us in a cage. It was really an animal, a dog cage, and all the women were standing there together. Ben-Gvir came to us with journalists and tried to make a statement."
Rather than remaining silent, the activists said they chose to confront the minister directly. "We protested Ben-Gvir by saying 'Shut up, you genocidal scum,'" Kantoglu recounted. "That was a slogan that made our prison conditions even more complicated. I'm not sorry at all for chanting that slogan."
The activists described how this act of defiance led to worsened conditions, with 15 people subsequently placed in cells designed for five. Kantoglu noted seeing evidence of previous detainees' experiences written on cell walls: "There were writings written in blood on the walls, we read them all. We saw that mothers had written their children's names on the walls of the cells."
The returning activists detailed what they described as degrading search procedures throughout their detention. Kantoglu spoke of repeated strip searches and examinations. "Strip searches were also conducted, they removed everything. We were searched over and over again at almost every checkpoint. They looked inside our mouths, between our teeth. They tried to treat us like terrorists."
Despite the conditions they described, the activists emphasized their determination to maintain resistance. Zeynep Dilek Tekocak explained how their presence as an international group may have surprised their captors: "They couldn't calculate this: there were people from 72 nations. There were many parliamentarians, union leaders, activists, lawyers, people from every professional group."
Several activists described throwing toys and gifts intended for Gaza's children into the sea before their capture, hoping the items might still reach their intended recipients. Ercan mentioned that 11 Turkish citizens remained in Israeli custody.
The activists were taken for health examinations at the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute in Yenibosna following their return. Turkish authorities indicated they would be taken to Istanbul Police Headquarters to file complaints as part of an investigation launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office into the international waters detention of Turkish citizens.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan welcomed the returning activists, stating that work continues for the swift return of remaining citizens. "Brave people who gave voice to the conscience of humanity showed an honorable stance against oppression with their courage and determination; they became the voice of the oppressed with their struggle for justice and human values. Welcome," Fidan said in his statement.
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus thanked what he called "fearless heroes of the humanity front who stood by Gaza's innocent and oppressed people." AK Party Spokesperson Omer Celik wrote on social media that "Sumud passengers delivered the message 'Gaza is humanity's home' to the whole world."
The Israeli military had attacked the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on Oct. 1, illegally detaining those aboard. The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the detention of Turkish citizens in international waters, examining potential charges including "depriving a person of liberty," "hijacking or detention of transportation vehicles," "qualified robbery," "property damage," and "torture" under various Turkish and international legal frameworks.
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