Dutch activists recall mistreatment by Israeli forces

(MENAFN) Dutch activists who were part of a flotilla attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza have accused Israeli forces of mistreatment and abuse during and after their detention.

Four activists from the Netherlands returned to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport via Spain, with help from the Dutch Embassy in Madrid, after being deported from Israel.

“On Thursday morning, we were kidnapped by Israeli soldiers,” activist Roos Ykema told reporters at the airport. “They entered our boats while we were in international waters, trying to break the illegal blockade to reach Gaza and establish a unitarian border.”

Ykema said four soldiers boarded their vessel, forced everyone to sit at the front, and later transported them to Israel, where they were imprisoned.

“They left us in the sun. They left us without food and water. They refused to provide medication. Some people were beaten up,” she said. “Now we are among the first to be deported from Israel back to the Netherlands.”

Despite the ordeal, Ykema vowed that the movement would continue.

“I wish that we had broken the siege, but I am sure that we will keep on pushing, and more boats will go — and Palestine will be free,” she said.

Another activist, Mohamed Abo Naser, described harsh and degrading treatment while in detention.
“The peaceful participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla were treated in a very, very bad way,” he said, alleging that detainees were intimidated, denied water for the first two days, and given irregular, insufficient meals.

He added that detainees were not allowed to go outside, contact lawyers or embassies, or access necessary medical care.

“Some of the participants who needed urgent medication, including insulin, were denied access. Despite repeated calls from all 16 cells, there was no response,” Abo Naser said, noting that one participant’s life was endangered.

Abo Naser also claimed that detainees of color, Muslims, and those of Palestinian descent were singled out for particularly harsh treatment.

“They were taken away from their cells for no reason, and we didn’t know where or when they would return,” he said. “Some of us were tied, our hands cuffed behind our backs, and blindfolded so we couldn’t see anything.”

He said they were transported in overcrowded buses where the temperature was deliberately manipulated to extremes.

“At some moments, you feel that you cannot breathe, that you are going to die,” he recalled.
Despite the ordeal, Abo Naser said the activists remained determined.

“We made it,” he said. “We have a message for the prison guards, for the Israeli government, and for Minister Ben-Gvir, who visited us twice: We are coming back with more ships, with more people, and we will not stop until the siege is broken.”

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