Flotilla Activists Allege Israeli Forces Used a Gun to Sexually Assault Detainees as Italy Opens Criminal Investigation

Released activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla have alleged systematic sexual violence by Israeli forces during detention, including the use of a firearm to penetrate detainees, as Rome prosecutors formally open a criminal investigation into kidnapping, torture and sexual assault.

The allegations, published on Friday by the flotilla's organisers in a statement on Telegram, describe what they call a coordinated campaign of abuse aboard an Israeli naval vessel converted into a makeshift prison, with at least 15 cases of sexual abuse documented and 12 alleged assaults on a single ship. Israel's Prison Service has denied all claims, describing them as 'false and entirely without factual basis.'

The disclosures have sent shockwaves through European capitals, triggered a rare public rebuke from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and placed National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at the centre of an international outcry.

Survivor Testimonies From Prison Boat

Australian filmmaker and activist Juliet Lamont was among the first to speak on camera after her release. Speaking to CNN at Istanbul Airport on 22 May 2026, still dressed in the grey prison tracksuit issued by the Israel Prison Service, Lamont alleged she had been beaten and sexually assaulted by five men inside a shipping container on board what she described as an Israeli 'prison boat.' She said the violence felt deliberate. 'You know they've broken our bones, but they haven't broken our soul,' Lamont said.

Lamont said she believed the attacks formed part of a 'relentless' and 'planned campaign of violence' designed to deter activists from attempting to reach Gaza again. Other activists filmed at Istanbul Airport gave similar accounts, describing assaults with tasers and rubber bullets fired at close range, as well as beatings that left a number with suspected broken bones.

Adalah, the Israeli human rights organisation representing the flotilla's participants, said its lawyers had documented those testimonies in detail. Miriam Azem, Adalah's international advocacy coordinator, told CNN, 'In the past 10 years of Adalah representing activists on flotillas, this is by far the most severe violence and assaults that we've encountered.'

Several activists arrived in Istanbul on stretchers and were taken away by ambulance. Turkey had deployed doctors and medical staff to the airport in anticipation of their arrival.

The Flotilla Statement

The Global Sumud Flotilla's organisers published a formal statement on 22 May 2026 detailing the alleged scale of the abuse. According to the statement, as reported by NBC News and Reuters, detainees were thrown into shipping containers and beaten over the head and ribs. They were allegedly subjected to 'humiliating strip searches, sexual taunting, groping and pulling of genitals, and multiple accounts of rape.'

The statement went further, alleging that 'at least 12 sexual assaults have been documented on that vessel alone, including anal rape and forcible penetration by a handgun.' The organisers said they had documented at least 15 total cases of sexual abuse across the detained group. Reuters noted it was not able to independently verify the allegations.

Israel's Prison Service responded to the initial claims with a blanket denial but did not reply to subsequent requests from Reuters for comment on the specific allegations after hours on Friday, a public holiday in Israel.

'The allegations raised are false and entirely without factual basis,' an Israel Prison Service spokesperson said in a statement. 'All prisoners and detainees are held in accordance with the law, with full regard for their basic rights and under the supervision of professional and trained prison staff.' The service added that medical care had been provided in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines and said it 'rejects generalised allegations aimed at portraying systematic unlawful conduct.'

Italy Opens Criminal Probe

Rome prosecutors moved quickly. A legal source confirmed to Reuters that Italian prosecutors are investigating the possible crimes of kidnapping, torture and sexual assault and will hear testimony from activists who have returned to Italy over the coming days. Italy had already summoned the Israeli ambassador after video footage circulated of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir standing over bound, kneeling activists at Ashdod port, waving an Israeli flag and calling them 'terror supporters.'

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani issued a joint statement calling the treatment of the activists 'unacceptable' and demanding an apology. 'The images of Israeli Minister Ben Gvir are unacceptable. It is unacceptable that these protesters, including many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment that violates their human dignity,' the statement read. Italy is also pushing within the EU for sanctions to be imposed on Ben Gvir personally.

Ben Gvir himself was unrepentant. In a statement cited by multiple outlets, he said, 'I was proud that we treat the flotilla activists as supporters of terrorism. Anyone who supports terrorism is a terrorist and deserves the conditions of terrorists.' Netanyahu publicly rebuked him, describing the video as 'not in line with Israel's values,' though the prime minister had himself ordered the flotilla's interception and instructed that its passengers be deported as quickly as possible. One Israeli participant, Zohar Regev, remained in custody pending a hearing at Ashkelon Magistrate's Court, according to Adalah.

International Condemnation

The response from allied governments was swift and, in several cases, unusually direct. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said she had received accounts of 'the appalling abuse of Canadians who were detained in Israel' and that Canada 'unequivocally condemns the grave mistreatment of Canadians in Israel,' adding that those responsible should be held accountable. Germany confirmed that a number of its nationals had returned with injuries and described some of the accusations as 'serious,' while consular officials arranged medical examinations in Istanbul.

United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters at a regular briefing on Friday that the UN was 'very concerned' by the reports from activists, pointing also to Ben Gvir's footage, which Dujarric said showed 'the humiliating treatment of the people who were detained by the flotilla.' Foreign ministers from ten countries, including Spain, Brazil and India, had already issued a joint condemnation of the interceptions as 'blatant violations of international law and international humanitarian law.' Poland indicated it is considering banning Ben Gvir from entering the country.

The flotilla itself, departing Marmaris, Turkey on 14 May 2026, carried 428 activists from 44 countries aboard 50 vessels, with food, medicine and humanitarian supplies bound for Gaza. Israeli commandos intercepted all ships in international waters on 19 May 2026, beginning approximately 167 miles from the Gaza coastline. Turkey subsequently mounted a diplomatic and logistical operation to recover its nationals and other deportees, chartering flights and dispatching ambulances to Ramon Airport near Eilat.

Rome's prosecutors are expected to hear the first formal testimonies from returning Italian activists in the days ahead, and what emerges from those accounts may determine whether allegations that began at sea become the subject of formal international legal proceedings on land.