Israel has hit back at allegations of mistreatment towards Greta Thunberg and the flotilla activities, accusing one of the Gaza sailors of biting a medic. Israel’s foreign ministry said on Monday: “The only violent incident came from a Hamas-Sumud provocateur who bit a female medical staff member of Ketziot prison.” The campaigners aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla claimed the Israeli authorities had beaten, mistreated, and set dogs upon them in detention last week after their flotilla was intercepted.
The group is yet to respond to the allegations of a medic being bitten. The detainees claimed that Israeli soldiers shoved 22-year-old Greta Thunberg and forced her to wear an Israeli flag before deporting her from the country this week. The Swedish activist was among more than 400 activists who set sail on a 45-boat flotilla in a bid to deliver aid to Gaza.
The group landed in the Greek capital of Athens on Monday, where Ms Thunberg said: “That this mission has to exist, it’s a shame! It is a shame!”
She added: “I could talk for a very, very long time about our mistreatment and abuses in our imprisonment, trust me, but that is not the story.”
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in response to the mistreatment claims that “all the legal rights of the participants in this PR stunt were and will continue to be fully upheld”.
“The lies they are spreading are part of their pre-planned fake news campaign,” he added.
Some 171 activists, from countries including the United States, France and Italy, were deported from Israel to Greece and Slovakia on October 6.
Ms Thunberg landed in Athens’ Eleftherios Venizelos airport where she was met by supportive crowds.
Saverio Tommasi, and activist from Italy, claimed he “was beaten from the moment we entered the port until the very end.”
“Blows to my back, blows to my head – and they [the Israeli soldiers] laughed, laughed at all of it. Anyone who failed to keep their eyes down was punished with a hit to the head,” the Guardian reported.
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir said he was “proud” of how Ketziot prison staff treated the flotilla campaigners.
He said: “They should get a good feel for the conditions in Ketziot prison and think twice before they approach Israel again.”
Around 138 activists remain in the custody of Israeli authorities.