Dragged, forced to kiss Israel flag: Horrific details of Greta Thunberg's ‘torture’ emerge
Some 137 activists detained by Israel for taking part in a flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza arrived in Turkey on Saturday after being deported.
Greta Thunberg was allegedly ‘tortured’ after the flotilla she and others were on, enroute Gaza, was intercepted by Israeli forces, Al Jazeera reported. Some 137 activists detained by Israel for taking part in a flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza arrived in Turkey on Saturday after being deported.
Two alleged that the Swedish activist was mistreated during their detention. Hazwani Helmi, a Malaysian citizen, and Windfield Beaver, an American citizen, told Reuters that Thunberg had been mistreated by Israeli troops.
What Israeli troops allegedly did to Greta Thunberg
Thunberg was reportedly shoved and made to wear an Israeli flag.
“It was a disaster. They treated us like animals,” Helmi recalled. Beaver added, Thunberg was “treated terribly” and “used as propaganda.” The activist described how Thunberg was pushed into a room when Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived.
Turkish journalist Ersin Celik also corroborated this, saying Israeli forces 'tortured' Greta Thunberg and that she was 'dragged on the ground' and ‘forced to kiss the Israeli flag’, as per Al Jazeera.
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Italian journalist Lorenzo Agostino also recalled about Thunberg, “Greta Thunberg, a brave woman, is only 22 years old. She was humiliated and wrapped in an Israeli flag and exhibited like a trophy”, as per Anadolu. Turkish TV presenter Ikbal Gurpinar, meanwhile said, “They treated us like dogs. They left us hungry for three days. They didn’t give us water; we had to drink from the toilet … It was a terribly hot day, and we were all roasting,” Al Jazeera reported.
While Israel has not commented on the new allegations the foreign ministry earlier described reports that detainees were mistreated as "complete lies".
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".
(With Reuters inputs)
