Activists released from Israeli custody after being detained on a flotilla trying to break Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza were subjected to abuse, organizers alleged on Friday, with several hospitalized with injuries and at least 15 reporting sexual assaults, including rape.
The Israel Prison Service denied the allegations, saying all detained activists were held “in accordance with the law, with full regard for their basic rights,” and received necessary and professional medical care.
Reuters noted it was unable to independently verify the activists’ claims.
Germany said some of its nationals had been injured and that some accusations were “serious,” without giving further details.
A legal source in Italy said prosecutors there were investigating possible crimes, including kidnapping and sexual assault.
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Israeli forces arrested 430 people on board 50 ships in international waters on Tuesday to halt a flotilla of volunteers trying to break the blockade on Gaza.
An activist from the Global Sumud Flotilla getting medical assistance inside an ambulance upon his arrival at Istanbul Airport, in Istanbul, Turkey, May 21, 2026. (Emrah Gurel/AP)
The allegations of abuse will add pressure on Israeli authorities to explain the treatment of the detainees, after a video of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir in a detention center mocking some of the bound, kneeling activists sparked an international outcry. Ben Gvir posted the video himself.
“We’re very concerned by these reports,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said when asked about the abuse allegations at a regular briefing on Friday.
Italy said EU members were discussing imposing sanctions on Ben Gvir. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he was in touch with all his EU counterparts “so that there may be a quick decision to impose sanctions” on the minister.
ככה אנחנו מקבלים את תומכי הטרור
Welcome to Israel ???????? pic.twitter.com/7Hf8cAg7fC
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) May 20, 2026
Allegations of sexual abuse
Global Sumud Flotilla, the organizers of the aid shipment, said the group had documented at least 15 cases of sexual abuse, with the worst occurring on one Israeli landing craft, which had been converted into a makeshift prison with barbed wire and shipping containers.
Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla are carried on wheel stretchers upon their arrival at Istanbul Airport, in Istanbul, Turkey, May 21, 2026. (Emrah Gurel/AP)
Detainees were thrown into the containers and beaten over the head and ribs, the group alleged in a statement.
They suffered multiple cases of sexual abuse, including “humiliating strip searches, sexual taunting, groping and pulling of genitals, and multiple accounts of rape.”
“At least 12 sexual assaults have been documented on that vessel alone, including anal rape and forcible penetration by a handgun,” it added.
The statement was released after the Israel Prison Service’s blanket denial of mistreatment, rape and sexual assault allegations. Reuters sent the additional specific allegations to the Prison Service but did not receive a reply after hours on Friday, amid the Shavuot holiday.
Mi Hoa Lee, an activist from Spain, said she was forced into the darkened container on the ship, according to a video interview included with the flotilla’s statement.
A member of the Global Sumud Flotilla receiving medical attention following the group’s arrival at Istanbul Airport on May 21, 2026. (Ozan KOSE/AFP)
“Four men started beating me in the face against the wall, and I fell down and then stood up again, again to the floor, stood up again, and they started tasering me for more than one minute,” she said, pointing to her ribcage, hips and back where she said they applied the taser.
“Then they kept beating me until I almost lost [consciousness],” she added.
Ilaria Mancosu, an Italian activist, told Reuters the flotilla members were removed from their boats to two so-called prison ships.
Those put on one of the ships suffered more violence than the other, she said. They were locked in a container and beaten by five soldiers, suffering fractures to the ribs and arms. Some had serious injuries to their eyes and ears caused by tasers.
She said they spent two days on the prison ships with no running water and used cardboard and plastic to keep warm at night, since they had no blankets and were stripped of most of their clothes.
Activist Pieter Rambags, speaking with the crowd as he returns from the Global Sumud Flotilla at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Friday, May 22, 2026. (Patrick Post/AP)
Once on land, they were made to kneel for several hours and kicked and shoved if they moved or spoke. They were then taken to a prison where they were moved from room to room periodically to keep them from sleeping, she said.
Israel had called the flotilla “nothing more than a PR stunt at the service of Hamas.” It was led by Turkish aid organization IHH, which is designated in Israel as a terror organization and which organized the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla to Gaza. During that flotilla, 10 Turkish activists were killed in a violent confrontation with Israeli naval commandos, who were attacked with clubs and bars when they boarded the Mavi Marmara ship.
Investigation of possible crimes
Rome prosecutors are investigating the possible crimes of kidnapping, torture, and sexual assault. They will hear testimony from activists who have returned to Italy over the coming days, the Italian legal source said.
A German Foreign Ministry spokesperson said consular officials who met German activists upon their arrival in Istanbul reported that a number had injuries and were undergoing medical checks.
“We naturally expect a full explanation, as some of the allegations that have been made are serious,” the spokesperson said.
Sabrina Charik, who helped organize the return of 37 French citizens from the flotilla, told Reuters five French participants had been hospitalized in Turkey, some with broken ribs or fractured vertebrae. Some had made detailed accusations of sexual violence, including rape, she said.
In an Instagram post by an activist group verified by Reuters, French national Adrien Jouen showed bruises across his back and on his forearms.
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