‘Brutalised at sea’: Palestine flotilla activists ‘punched, kicked, dragged’ by Israeli thugs

Activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla have reported being brutalised by the Israeli military after their humanitarian ships were stormed. They also said they were denied food and water. The illegal seizure was a brutal re-run of previous attacks on flotillas.

The activists were detained by an Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) naval vessel for 40 hours after their capture. The flotilla’s main X account posted details on 1 May:

🚨 URGENT: GSF PARTICIPANTS BRUTALIZED BY IOF AFTER 40 HOURS AT SEA 🚨

Global Sumud Flotilla participants have just survived 40 hours of calculated cruelty aboard an iOF navy vessel in Greek waters.

They were denied adequate food and water. They were forced to sleep on floors… pic.twitter.com/FAlM0SZfHR

— Global Sumud Flotilla (@gbsumudflotilla) May 1, 2026

The account said:

When the military moved to abduct two participants, Saif Abukeshek (Spain / Palestinian origins) and Thiago Ávila (Brazil), our crew peacefully resisted and the response was sheer violence.

Adding:

Participants were punched, kicked, and dragged across the deck with their hands bound behind their backs. They suffered broken noses, cracked ribs and bloody beatings. Shots were even fired at them in the chaos.

The group said that the Greek police, who have taken custody of the activists, are now refusing to release them:

The nightmare isn’t over. Greek police are now trapping our battered crew on buses, denying them the freedom to leave while Saif and Thiago have been abducted and taken back to occupied Palestine.

However, the group added:

Our participants remain unbroken: 60 participants have immediately launched a hunger strike.

This is a vicious attack on peaceful civilians. We will not look away. We demand their freedom and international accountability NOW.

Speedboats chasing flotilla and jamming technology

Democracy Now! reported that Israeli forces had chased down many of the flotilla boats, but not all:

Israel’s military has intercepted boats traveling with the Global Sumud Flotilla as they worked to bring food and humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

Leaders of the international aid group say at least 22 of the 58 vessels en route to Gaza were chased down overnight by drones and military speedboats near the Greek island of Crete.

The US-based outlet described Israel’s piracy in detail:

Their radar was jammed as Israeli troops carrying assault rifles boarded the ships and ordered participants to their hands and knees. Israeli authorities said they arrested 175 people.

Activist Neve O’Connor livestreamed the attack as it happened.

As a flotilla, we have activated all safety protocols, and we are now preparing for interception. If we go silent, this is why: We have been intercepted. Please keep tracking us. Condemn Israel. Condemn anyone that you can to bring us back home safely, and keep an eye on us.

Flotilla leaders said it was a straight-up attack on “unarmed civilian boats in international waters” and amounted to “kidnapping on the high seas.”

Naval aggression

The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) published a press release condemning Israel’s illegal attack. They urged the UK Government:

to take urgent action to protect UK citizens and other global humanitarian civilians who are under attack.

They said the flotilla’s mission was to:

deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza at a time when Palestinian people continue to face malnutrition and starvation due to Israel’s intentional restriction of humanitarian aid, as part of its genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

The organisation said Israeli forces:

smashed vessels and forcibly intercepted the flotilla, preventing it from continuing its mission to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. Activists were detained following the assault, in a deliberate effort to disrupt and punish attempts to stop the Israeli blockade.

We won’t hold our breaths waiting for Keir Starmer to intervene on behalf of his own citizens. He is far too busy attacking basic liberties at home. But this flotilla certainly won’t be the last, as activists put their own lives and liberties on the line to oppose the settler-colonial state’s genocidal assault on Palestinians.

Featured image via AmnestyInternational