By Isabella McHugh
Staff Writer
After being released from Israeli custody, activist Greta Thunberg speaks of the mistreatment she and other prisoners experienced.
Besides her, there were about 478 other people sending aid to Palestine near Gaza through the use of flotillas.
These are fleets of water used to transport cargo. The activists wanted to lessen the famine of the Israeli blockade of Gaza. They were swiftly intercepted by Israeli authorities and detained in Israel.
Thunberg spent a few days in a prison -[0before being deported and flown to Athens, Greece on Monday, Oct. 6. A large crowd of supporters awaited Thunberg upon her arrival. She appeared in a state of disbelief as the story of her captivity unfolded before her audience.
Throughout her discussion, Thunberg brought up the ways in which she and other prisoners faced torture, but consistently turned the conversation to face the issue of genocide, she claimed Israel is executing.
“What happened was not only that Israel kidnapped us, and tortured us, but that above all, during an ongoing escalating genocide in which Israel is openly trying to erase the entire Gaza Strip and the Palestinian people,” Thunberg is seen saying in a YouTube video.
An official visited her cell and wrote of its conditions in an email addressed to people close to Thunberg. She claimed the cell was infested with bedbugs, and Thunberg “received insufficient amounts of both water and food,” as written in The Guardian.
A Turkish journalist and participant in the Global Sumud Flotilla, Ersin Celik, said that Thunberg was tortured in prison. He claimed they dragged her on the ground and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. “They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others,” he said.
This testament was echoed by another detainee, Lorenzo Agostino, who claimed the Israeli officers wrapped Thunberg in the Israeli flag for others around to see.
The Italian legal team representing the Flotilla also claimed the detainees were treated unjustly. They said no food or water was provided to the prisoners for a long time. The team also reported cases where prisoners faced physical and emotional abuse.
Israel’s interception is being investigated. The head of Amnesty International believes it to be “a calculated act of intimidation” targeted at those against Israel’s actions, calling it an “unlawful blockade on Gaza.”
Those defending the Flotilla claimed Israel illegally intercepted them, while Israel claimed the Flotilla was instigating, according to CNN. Turkey called out Israel on this interception, saying it was an “act of piracy,” according to AP News.
This event set off a great number of protests across large cities around the world. In Italy, a 2-million-person strike resonated across the country. Citizens rallied in support of Gaza and “a humanitarian aid mission,”according to Italy’s largest union.
Out of the Global Sumud Flotilla, most activists have been released from Israeli captivity. Six are still being detained, and their lawyers are working to free them.
Greta Thunberg said in a speech, “Israel once again violated international law and prevented humanitarian aid, medicine, food, and water from reaching a starving population.”
This event has incited retaliation from countries around the world and strengthened enraged sentiments towards Israel. The war between Israel and Palestine continues, galvanizing foreign opinions in its destruction.
