Algerian activist recounts Israeli attack, detention after Gaza aid flotilla raid

By Kenan Irtak and Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Algerian activist Ammar Wanass said Saturday he was detained and insulted by Israeli forces after joining an international aid convoy seeking to break Israel’s illegal blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Speaking to Anadolu after landing at Istanbul Airport aboard a plane carrying deported activists from Israel’s Ramon Airport in Eilat, Wanass said the Global Sumud Flotilla was attacked in international waters Wednesday night by Israeli forces, who seized the ships “unlawfully” and transferred the activists to detention.

“They attacked us in the open sea, in international waters, illegally and without any right, and they kidnapped us and took our ship,” he said.

Wanass said he and other activists were detained for two days and subjected to verbal abuse.

“I’m telling the truth – personally, they (Israeli forces) insulted me with the worst insults,” he said.

While he noted that the overall treatment was “not too bad” due to international pressure on Israel to avoid harsh measures against the flotilla, he described the experience as difficult and uncertain, with detainees not knowing what would happen to them.

“You cannot trust their actions, and we were living in fear and confusion,” he said.

The activist expressed joy and gratitude toward Türkiye for its role in securing their deportation and repatriation.

“When they (Israeli authorities) took us from prison and told us we were going to Istanbul, we didn’t believe it until we saw Turkish Airlines with our own eyes. Thank you, Türkiye,” he said.

Israeli naval forces attacked and seized vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla and detained more than 470 activists from over 50 countries while sailing to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge Israel’s blockade of the enclave.

Israel has maintained the blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed over 67,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it all but uninhabitable.