Greta Thunberg mistreated by Israeli forces in detention, activists say

After enlisting in a Gaza aid organization, several international activists accused Israeli forces of mistreating climate activist Greta Thunberg.

36 Turkish nationals and activists from the United States, Italy, Malaysia, Kuwait, Switzerland, Tunisia, Libya, Jordan, and other nations were among the 137 deportedees who arrived in Istanbul on Saturday, according to Turkish officials.

Ersin Celik, a journalist and participant in the Gaza Sumud Flotilla, reported to local media that he witnessed Israeli forces “torture Greta Thunberg,” and that she was “forced to touch the Israeli flag” while being “dragged on the ground.”

At Istanbul Airport, Malaysian activists Hazwani Helmi and Windfield Beaver claimed Thunberg was pushed and paraded with an Israeli flag. Both activists claimed the two had similar accounts.

“It was a disaster,” he declared. Detainees were denied food, clean water, and medication, according to Helmi, who added that they treated us like animals.

Thunberg was “treated terribly” and “used as propaganda,” according to Beaver, who recalls how far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered a room.

Italian journalist Lorenzo Agostino, who was on the flotilla, also cited Thunberg’s treatment.

Greta Thunberg, a courageous woman, ages only 22, is. He told Anadolu, “She was humiliated, wrapped in an Israeli flag, and displayed like a trophy.”

Other people spoke of severe neglect. Ikbal Gurpinar, a presenter for Turkish television, said, “They treated us like dogs. For three days, we were hungry. We had to use the restroom because it was so hot and we were all roasting. She claimed that she now “knows more about Gaza” than she did during the ordeal.

Aycin Kantoglu, a Turkish activist, described bloody prison walls and messages scrawled on the walls of previous detainees. Mothers were able to write their children’s names on the walls, they said. We actually went through a portion of what Palestinians go through, she said.

Antonio Tajani, the foreign minister of Italy, reported that 15 Italians were still awaiting expulsion from Israel while 26 had been deported.

On the flotilla, Italian MP Arturo Scotto said to reporters, “Those who were acting legally were those on those boats, and those who acted illegally were those who prevented them from reaching Gaza.”

Detainees reported being denied medication, denied access to legal services, and forced to kneel with zip-tied hands for hours, according to Adalah, an Israeli rights organization that provides legal aid. The claims were dismissed as “complete lies,” but the Israeli government argued that all detainees were treated legally.

“All of Adalah’s claims are complete lies,” he said. All detainees were, of course, given access to restrooms, water, and food, and they were not denied legal counsel, according to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Israel’s navy intercepted about 40 boats carrying aid to Gaza and detained more than 450 people on board, a move that has received more than 450 condemnations.

Critics claim that the attack highlights Israel’s ongoing military occupation of Gaza, which has shut off the enclave’s 2.3 million residents.

Source: Aljazeera