Greta Thunberg Among Gaza Flotilla Detainees Released by Israel

Most, if not all, those being released from Israeli detention will be flown to Greece, where they will be able to get flights to their home countries, their respective governments said on Sunday.

Those flying out of Israel on Monday include 28 French citizens, 27 Greeks, 15 Italians, and nine Swedes.

Twenty-one Spaniards separately returned to Spain on Sunday from Israel.

The release still leaves several foreigners in Israeli custody, including 28 Spanish nationals.

All had been on board the 45-vessel Global Sumud Flotilla carrying activists and politicians, who had been aiming to get past an Israeli blockade to deliver aid to Gaza, where the United Nations says famine has taken hold.

Israel started intercepting the ships in international waters on Wednesday. An Israeli official said on Thursday that boats with more than 400 people on board had been prevented from reaching the Palestinian territory.

The Italian and Greek foreign ministries said their released nationals would on Monday fly from Israel to Athens. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on X that the 15 Italians would have assistance for a subsequent transfer to Italy. 

France's foreign ministry said the 28 French citizens would be flown to Greece. They accounted for most of the 30 French nationals Israel seized aboard the flotilla.

The Swedish foreign ministry did not say where the Swedes would fly to, but Swedish media said they, too, could be put on the flight to Greece.

  'Treated like monkeys' 

A first group of 26 Italians already left Israel on Saturday. But the last 15 had to wait for their judicial expulsion from the country as they refused to sign a form allowing their voluntary release.

Several of the Italians in the first group said after returning to their country that they were subjected to degrading treatment by the Israeli authorities.

Saverio Tommasi, a journalist for the online media site Fanpage, said he was hit in the back and on the head by his Israeli captors.

"We were treated like old monkeys in the worst circuses of the 1920s," said Tommasi, cited by the Ansa press agency.

Sweden's Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told AFP that embassy staff in Tel Aviv had been able to visit the nine Swedes in detention.

"Late Sunday, the Israeli authorities informed us that they were set to authorise the Swedish citizens to leave Israel tomorrow (Monday) by plane," she said.

One of the Spaniards who returned home on Sunday, Rafael Borrego, told reporters that those detained by Israel had suffered "repeated physical and mental abuse", including receiving blows and being forced to the ground.

Turkish activists detail harassment in Israeli detention 

Turkish activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla have testified to physical and psychological abuse, racial slurs and harassment by Israel after their illegal detention in international waters, as Turkish prosecutors continue an investigation into the attack.

A plane carrying activists from the aid flotilla landed Saturday at the Istanbul Airport.

As many as 137 people from the humanitarian flotilla, including 36 Turkish and 23 Malaysian citizens, arrived by the flight.

After being transferred from Israel to Istanbul, the activists were taken to the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute for health checks before giving testimonies to prosecutors as witnesses.

Haşmet Yazıcı said his vessel was bombed by drones in open waters, causing physical injuries and damaging the sail. Israeli assault boats harassed the vessel, trying to sink it, before commandos boarded and seized control.

Yazıcı said activists were made to sit on the concrete floor for three hours at the port of Ashdod, with their hands bound behind their backs and heads forced to the ground.

"When elderly and weak people who couldn't stay in that position for hours changed positions, they forced their heads to the ground by kicking them, handcuffing them in the position of prostration, and made them wait for one to two hours," he added.

Yazıcı said when they wanted to give testimonies in Turkish, a female security officer standing nearby said, "Dirty Turks, you already smell bad."

He said when activists accused her of racism, they were threatened.

"They asked us why we entered Israeli territory without permission. I told them, 'We didn't enter Israeli territory; you forcibly took us from international waters.' They asked why we were going to Gaza. I said that there is genocide happening there, that they are killing children, that we were bringing humanitarian aid, and that we set off for Gaza in accordance with international law," said Yazıcı.

He said they tried to make him sign three papers, but since he did not know Hebrew, he refused to sign.

Bekir Develi said activists were subjected to psychological and physical abuse by Israeli soldiers.

He said his hands were tightly handcuffed behind his back, resulting in bruising.

Develi said they were given food two days after being detained, but no water was provided for four days, and when they requested water, they were subjected to physical abuse.

"When we tried to pray, they intervened," he said, adding that his personal belongings, including his money, were stolen by Israeli forces.

Mesut Cakar said after being detained and arriving at the port, they were forced to wait for about an hour in a reverse handcuff position, with their heads on the hot asphalt.

He said that while they were waiting, his friend from the ship, Mustafa Cakmakci, had his arm broken.

"They did not treat the European nationals there in such a manner. They only displayed humiliating behavior toward Turkish citizens. They stole some of my personal belongings," said Cakar.

He said they were transported in a cramped, cage-like space in a police vehicle for two hours before being taken to an Israeli prison, where they were held in a similar area for two to three hours, denied water, and forced to drink from the toilet tap during their three-day detention.

He said they interrogated and assaulted an Australian citizen.

"Two activists with asthma were struggling to breathe. They were not given any medication. Also, they would wake us up every two hours and move us to different locations in prison," Cakar said.

He said Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the prison, after which officials separated the activists into cages and cells, frequently moving them between areas.

They laughed while smoking cigarettes in front of them and took photos and videos, he added.