'Cannot tell anything nice,' says Swiss activist on Israeli soldiers' treatment after seizure of Gaza aid flotilla

By Kenan Irtak and Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Swiss activist who was aboard the Israeli-seized Global Sumud Flotilla said she "cannot tell anything nice" about the Israeli soldiers' treatment of them.

"I'm very aware, I have white skin, blue eyes, I have a Swiss passport. They treated me much better than other passengers on board. That's white privilege," Tabea Zaug told Anadolu, adding that even then the soldiers made jokes and "tried to harass" them.

Zaug was one of the activists aboard a Turkish Airlines plane that repatriated Turkish citizens and brought various other nationals to Istanbul on Saturday afternoon.

She said the soldiers forced them to lie face down in the sun for an hour, kneeling, "just to harass" them and make them "feel bad," noting that they were treated "like terrorists."

"We were intercepted illegally in international waters by the Israeli army. And that's illegal," Zaug stressed.

She noted the negative conditions of food and water during the detention.

"... I felt like in hell in Israel.

"And then I was on this flight of the Turkish Airlines. And they gave us the best food. They were very nice to us. They gave us water to drink, orange juice. I felt very happy to be in that airplane," Zaug added.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, en route to break the Israeli blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, approached Gaza waters on the evening of Oct 1.

The Israeli army attacked the flotilla, illegally seizing dozens of boats and ships and detaining hundreds of their passengers.