'They dragged Greta by her hair, forced to kiss Israeli flag, treated us like animals': Activists allege after arriving

Some 137 activists detained by Israel for taking part in a flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza arrived in Turkey on Saturday (4 October) after being deported, with two alleging that Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg was mistreated during her detention, reports Reuters.

Israel did not immediately comment on the new allegations, but its foreign ministry earlier described reports that detainees had been mistreated as "complete lies".

The activists who landed at Istanbul Airport included 36 Turkish nationals, as well as citizens from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia and Jordan, Turkish foreign ministry sources said.

Thunberg 'treated terribly', activist alleges

Two of them, Hazwani Helmi, a Malaysian citizen, and Windfield Beaver, an American citizen, told Reuters at the airport that they had witnessed Thunberg being mistreated, saying she was shoved and forced to wear an Israeli flag.

"It was a disaster. They treated us like animals," said Helmi, 28, adding that detainees were not provided with clean food or water and that medication and belongings were confiscated.

Beaver, 43, said Thunberg was "treated terribly" and "used as propaganda", describing how she was pushed into a room as Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived.

Lorenzo D'Agostino, a journalist and another flotilla participant, said after returning to Istanbul that Thunberg was "wrapped in the Israeli flag and paraded like a trophy" – a scene described with disbelief and anger by those who witnessed it, reports The Guardian.

Thunberg is among 437 activists, parliamentarians and lawyers who are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), a coalition of more than 40 vessels carrying humanitarian aid whose goal was to breach Israel's 16-year maritime blockade of Gaza.

"They dragged little Greta [Thunberg] by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others," Turkish activist ErsinÇelik, a participant in the Sumud flotilla, told Anadolu news agency.

Israel has faced international condemnation after its military intercepted all of about 40 boats in a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza and detained more than 450 activists.

Turkey says 137 Gaza flotilla activists to arrive in Istanbul

Its foreign ministry wrote on X that all detained activists were "safe and in good health", adding it was keen to complete the remaining deportations "as quickly as possible".

In a separate X post, it accused some flotilla members of "deliberately obstructing" the deportation process, without providing evidence. Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegation.

Israel denies allegations of mistreatment

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said 26 Italians were on board the Turkish Airlines flight, with another 15 still held in Israel and set to be expelled over the next few days - along with activists from other nations.

"I have once again given instructions to the Italian Embassy in Tel Aviv to ensure that the remaining compatriots are treated with respect for their rights", Tajani wrote on X.

A first group of Italians from the flotilla - four parliamentarians - arrived in Rome on Friday.

"Those who were acting legally were the people aboard those boats; those who acted illegally were those who prevented them from reaching Gaza", Arturo Scotto, one of the Italian lawmakers who took part in the mission, told a press conference in Rome.

"We were brutally stopped ... brutally taken hostage", said Benedetta Scuderi, another Italian parliamentarian.

According to Adalah, an Israeli group offering legal assistance to flotilla members, some detainees were denied access to lawyers, water, medications, and toilets.

They were also "forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied for at least five hours, after some participants chanted 'Free Palestine,'" Adalah said.

Israel denied the allegations. "All of Adalah's claims are complete lies. Of course, all detainees ... were given access to water, food, and restrooms; they were not denied access to legal counsel, and all their legal rights were fully upheld," a foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters.

The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, where Israel has been waging a war since Palestinian militant group Hamas' deadly attack on Israel in October 2023.

Israeli officials repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt and warned it against violating a "lawful naval blockade".