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Survivors of the Global Sumud Flotilla interception described a "harrowing" night of abuse aboard an Israeli naval vessel Friday, alleging they were beaten, denied food and water and held in stress positions after being fired upon with plastic bullets.
The flotilla confirmed at least 31 were injured across 15 nationalities, two leaders remained in Israeli custody without legal access, as Israeli legal group Adalah accused Tel Aviv of "the abduction of foreign civilians in international waters without legal authority."
A British activist, Sijaad Hussain, told Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency that they were carrying humanitarian aid and heading toward Gaza when they were attacked by Israel in international waters, far before Crete.
"They shot plastic bullets at us. There were injuries. They raided our boats. They took us to a large container ship and placed us there. It was very cold at night, very uncomfortable," he added.
Hussain said several flotilla members had been attacked and many taken to the hospital. He also called for the release of the two activists who are still in Israeli custody.
The activist thanked the Turkish people for their support and said, "We must raise our voices for Palestine. Allah willing, when Palestine is free, we will be free too," adding, "Allah willing, I will find the opportunity again," indicating his intention to rejoin the flotilla.
British activist Katy Davidson told AA she had been tracked by drones and intense lights on a small boat when a large Israeli warship approached.
"They told us to move to the front of the boat. We sat peacefully but they insisted. Eventually they threatened: 'If you don't move to the front, we will open fire.' And yet we were in international waters and doing nothing illegal," she said.
After being detained, she was transferred to what she described as a "floating prison," then taken by boat to a temporary area constructed from containers.
"Barbed wire was everywhere, there were armed people surrounding us, and they treated us like animals," Davidson said. She said activists were forced to sleep on wet beds, some deliberately soaked, given limited food and water, and faced with officials who were "harsh and threatening."
Detainees were offered a choice between "leaving the country or being sent to prison in Israel."
Davidson called on the international community: "Everyone needs to respond to what happened, because this will not remain limited to Palestine, it will spread globally. Because they are Zionist and they don't care about anyone but themselves."
Australian doctor Bianca Webb-Pullman told AA that Israeli soldiers boarded the boat, pointing weapons at passengers.
"They bound everyone's hands and then took us to a naval ship on their boats. There they kept us in stress positions, things like kneeling on the ground for a long time. Then they put us in a courtyard with shipping containers and crammed 45 people into each container. We had no blankets," she said.
Webb-Pullman said that when flotilla members protested the detention of two flotilla committee members, soldiers "began beating and dragging flotilla members out of the boat."
She said: "Israel is committing genocide with impunity for two years, and now what they are doing is expanding their control zone. They don't just think they control Gaza, they seem to believe they now control the entire Mediterranean, and this cannot be tolerated. It is really very important for the Turkish government and world governments to take a strong stance on this."
Retired American emergency room physician John Francis Reuwer told AA, "Today I witnessed people who showed sensitivity to the suffering of others being treated like criminals. Every day, people who show sensitivity to children being killed, why are they treated like criminals, and why are those who kill children welcomed with respect?"
Reuwer said activists were forced to lie on the ground, made to kneel, and struck when they moved. "I was physically and psychologically affected," he said.
"We allow large countries like the U.S. and Israel to violate these rules every day. This weakens the international institutions that keep all of us safe and at peace. That is why we must force the U.S. and Israel to be held accountable," he added.
One unnamed activist quoted in the flotilla's statement described the violence: "As you can see, my nose is probably broken. My ribs hurt; maybe they are broken, too. I'm not sure. My neck as well. They kicked us, punched us, and dragged us on the ground, and we even heard shots being fired at people."
The Global Sumud Flotilla confirmed at least 31 activists were injured: four each from New Zealand and Australia; three each from Italy and the U.S.; two each from Canada, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, Colombia and Germany; one each from Hungary, Ukraine, France, Poland and Portugal.
One injured activist holds dual Turkish-German citizenship. The identities of three others were still being determined.
Detained activists were held for nearly 40 hours aboard an Israeli naval vessel, denied sufficient food and water, and forced to sleep on wet floors, the flotilla said.
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Israeli advocacy group Adalah sent an urgent letter to the Israeli navy's legal adviser demanding immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of Thiago de Avila and Saif Abukeshek, the two flotilla leaders still in Israeli custody, and calling for immediate legal counsel access before any questioning.
"Israel's actions amount to the abduction of foreign civilians in international waters without legal authority," Adalah said, calling the flotilla "a legitimate form of humanitarian action and solidarity with the people of Gaza being conducted in the context of the longstanding unlawful blockade on Gaza."
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