Australian activists allege violence, denial of food and water by Israeli forces

2 hours ago 3

Australian pro-Palestinian activists have made allegations of violent physical abuse and the withholding of food and water by Israeli authorities, who have dismissed the claims of aid flotilla participants who sailed to Gaza as “fake news”.

Seven Australians were among the hundreds of people detained by Israeli authorities last week, with some making statements to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that they had experienced systematic abuse during their detention, including sleep deprivation, the denial of food and water, and physical violence that had resulted in one detainee suffering a dislocated arm.

The flotilla of more than 40 vessels was sailing to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, but was intercepted by Israeli forces before its arrival. Israel has so far deported 341 of the 479 flotilla participants, with 171 of those deported, including activist Greta Thunberg, sent to Greece and Slovakia overnight.

Australians, who are being held at the Ketziot prison in the Negev desert, were not listed among the group of nationalities that Israeli authorities said had been deported. Palestinian-run legal centre Adalah said they anticipated the remaining activists to be deported on Thursday.

According to Amnesty International, the seven detained Australian citizens are Abubakir Rafiq, Juliet Lamont, Hamish Paterson, Surya McEwan, Bianca Webb-Pullman, Cameron Tribe and Dan Adler.

A statement from Global Movement to Gaza on Monday alleged systematic abuse against the detainees, including sleep deprivation, denial of food or water, and suspicions of poisoned or drugged water being fed to the Australian cohort. The statement also claimed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade had “confirmed torture including threats of sexual abuse, dislocated arm, head slammed into concrete”.

The Global Movement to Gaza declined to provide redacted summaries of reports given by detainees to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade staff.

The department did not respond to questions about the detainees’ claims, instead saying: “Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade officials are providing consular assistance to seven Australians detained in Israel.”

“We know this is a distressing time for them and for their loved ones. Our officials are doing everything they can to support them, including through in-person visits. We have made clear to Israel our expectation that detainees will receive humane treatment in line with international norms,” the statement read.

Parents and family members of detainees held a press conference in Ballina in northern NSW on Tuesday morning. Jacinta McEwen, mother of Surya McEwen, said her son had been “incarcerated in prison in Israel after being abducted in international waters”.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg in Athens after being deported by Israel.

“I’m just absolutely shocked that Prime Minister [Anthony]Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have not even contacted me as his mother, have not said anything about this,” Jacinta McEwen said.

“Even this morning, there’s mention of October 7 [Hamas attacks], but there is no mention of our Australian citizens, our sons and daughters, who are in prison, in a horrible prison and being maltreated.”

Judy Paterson, mother of Hamish Paterson, said it was “too upsetting” to go into the specifics of how her son was being treated.

“He wants this to be a kinder world, so he has gone over there to act because our government wasn’t speaking up and acting and I’m imploring our Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Senator Wong, our local member, Justine Elliot, to secure his release and all the other Australians so they can come home,” she said.

In a post to social media platform X that referenced Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch detained activists, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said: “Israel is keen to have all the participants of this provocation deported as quickly as possible, but some of them deliberately chose to prolong the legal deportation process, preferring to linger in Israel.

“All the legal rights of the participants in this PR stunt are fully upheld. Don’t believe the fake news they are spreading,” the post read. A separate post on Monday said claims of mistreatment were “brazen lies” and that all detainees’ rights were “fully upheld”.

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was filmed taunting detained flotilla crew members, and calling them terrorists. The minister was also filmed touring flotilla boats, claiming that they were not actually carrying humanitarian aid.

“These are the flotilla terrorists, these are the terrorists. They are terrorists. Look at them, supporters of the killers. By the way, their boats were a huge mess, they did not really come for the flotilla or aid, but they came for Gaza, for the terrorists,” Ben-Gvir was filmed saying to the detainees.

Ben-Gvir was one of two ministers in the Israeli government hit with sanctions by Australia and other Western nations in June.

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