An activist with the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) says climate campaigner Greta Thunberg was physically abused and forced to kiss an Israeli flag after regime forces raided the Gaza-bound vessels and detained those on board.

“They dragged little Greta by her hair before our eyes, beat her, and forced her to kiss the Israeli flag. They did everything imaginable to her, as a warning to others,” journalist Ersin Celik said in a Saturday post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Another Turkish activist detailed the distressing conditions they faced after being abducted, highlighting the Israeli forces’ obstruction of access to medicine and the limited provision of essential supplies such as water and food.

“Israelis prevented us from having medicine, they only gave us water after 32 hours. We barely had any food. We were woken up at 3 in the morning with dogs and snipers walking into our rooms, they woke us up every 2 hours to prevent us from sleeping. They did this to us, innocent citizens, it could only let us imagine what they do to Palestinians,” the activist said.

On Saturday, a plane carrying 137 activists, including 36 Turkish citizens, arrived in Istanbul, where they were warmly welcomed by families, journalists, and supporters after enduring the challenging experience at sea.

The purpose of the activists’ involvement in the mission was to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip and provide aid, before their ships were intercepted by Israeli forces.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of over 50 vessels, set sail from Barcelona late last month to deliver aid to Gaza and challenge what human rights groups have condemned as one of the harshest and most inhumane blockades in the world.

Since Wednesday, the Israeli navy has illegally intercepted flotilla vessels in international waters as they neared Gaza, detaining about 500 activists from more than 40 countries.

Several high-profile figures, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, and Member of European Parliament Rima Hassan, were among those abducted.

The Israeli attack has been met with worldwide protests, including in European countries such as Italy, Belgium, and Scotland.

Since March 2, when Israel violated its ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, the regime has sealed all border crossings into the enclave, blocking the entry of humanitarian aid and further deepening Gaza’s already dire humanitarian crisis.

The brutal blockade has pushed the famine-linked death toll to 453 people, including 150 children.

Israel has so far killed at least 66,225 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since it launched the genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.