THE ISRAELI military has been accused of torturing, beating and kidnapping unarmed activists taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian-led humanitarian mission to Gaza.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is a collection of about 60 boats that set sail from Barcelona two weeks ago, intending to deliver medicines, tampons, bags, toys, etc, to the beleaguered people of Gaza, in an attempt to break Israel’s illegal blockade.

However, the Israeli military launched a raid on the civilian flotilla on Wednesday night as the boats were in international waters off the southern coast of Greece.

At least 21 boats were raided, seized and damaged by the Israeli forces, and about 175 people were adducted and taken to a nearby Israeli naval ship and subjected to “40 hours of calculated cruelty,” according to the activists.

“They were denied adequate food and water. They were forced to sleep on floors that were deliberately and repeatedly flooded,” Global Sumud Flotilla said in a statement today.

When the Israelis moved to abduct two of the group’s most prominent members, Saif Abukeshek (a Spanish and Palestinian citizen) and Thiago Avila (of Brazil), the rest of the abducted attempted to resist peacefully, the activists said.

“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.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on its X account toay that Mr Abukeshek and Mr Avila “will be brought to Israel for questioning.”

It accused the former of having an “affiliation with a terrorist organisation” and the later of “suspected of illegal activity” without evidence.