An Argentine activist has condemned Israel’s attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla, calling the incident a violation of international law and an act of “terrorism.”
A plane carrying activists from the flotilla, who were detained by Israeli forces in international waters, landed at Istanbul Airport on Saturday afternoon. The flight, which departed from Ramon Airport in Eilat, Israel, arrived in Istanbul at 3:50 pm local time (1250 GMT).
In total, 137 people from the humanitarian flotilla were on board, including 36 Turkish and 23 Malaysian citizens.
“They kidnapped us in international waters, that is ridiculous, it’s terrorism from the state of Israel, against people of different countries of the world who were peacefully, legally sailing,” Nicolas Calabrese, one of the activists, told Anadolu Agency.
Calabrese stressed that the flotilla was unarmed and transparent in its mission, while Israeli forces arrived armed and masked.
He recounted being taken against his will and subjected to physical abuse:
“They carried us to a place that we didn’t want to be, and they treated us very badly, like hitting us and pushing us.”
The activist also said that detainees were denied communication with each other and with their families.
“I have just called my mom after three days – 72 hours. My family didn’t know if I was okay,” Calabrese explained.
Despite the ordeal, Calabrese vowed to continue advocating for Palestinian rights:
“The same thing they are doing with us, they are doing far worse to the Palestinian people. We will continue fighting.”
