Zack Schofield, Neve O’Connor and Ethan Floyd have launched a hunger strike on the Greek island of Crete after being left there by Israeli authorities.Two activists who participated in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla have been brought to Israel for questioning, the foreign ministry said on Saturday, after the vessels were intercepted by Israeli forces this week.
Saif Abu Keshek, from Spain, and Thiago Avila, a Brazilian, were in Israel and would “be transferred for questioning by law enforcement authorities”, the ministry said on X, adding that the two activists were affiliated with an organisation sanctioned by the US Treasury.
It followed Wednesday’s interception of the flotilla, which was trying to transport aid to Gaza, having left Italy on Monday.
Of the roughly 175 activists taking part in the flotilla, 31 were taken to Sitia hospital in Crete, including the three Australians, who were later discharged but remain on the island.
Schofield told The Guardian that the activists were detained by Israel on a transport ship that had been retrofitted as a prison. The vessel’s main deck held shipping containers surrounded by barbed wire, he added.
Though Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar claimed that the activists were “taken off unharmed,” Schofield alleged widespread mistreatment, saying: “They took people into the fourth shipping container and beat them with the butts of their rifles and batons, and with their fists and their feet.
“I saw a man shot at point-blank range with a rubber bullet in the leg and in the back. A friend of mine who was in the American delegation told me he was dragged into that fourth shipping container and repeatedly kicked in the testicles, among many other places that they beat him.”
Schofield also witnessed a young Colombian woman being repeatedly punched in the ribs by an Israeli soldier.
“I had two flash-bang grenades thrown directly at my feet as I was sitting opposite the entrance to the prison yard, and I had to duck out of the way before they exploded in my face,” he said.
“I was forced into stress positions, kneeling on the floor for lengths of time with my head slammed against the ground.”
The detained activists were kept on the vessel for two days in crowded conditions, with Israeli soldiers twice pumping sea water over the deck.
The three Australians said they had refused Israeli food once detained, demanding the release of flotilla leaders Thiago Avila and Saif Abu Keshek, who were taken to Israel for “questioning.”
Organizers of the flotilla have called on governments worldwide to pressure Israel to immediately release Avila and Abu Keshek, a Spanish national. Spain has demanded the latter’s immediate release.
Consular staff are in Crete to assist the Australian group, which includes three other activists, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.
“We are also continuing to liaise with local authorities in Israel and Greece including to confirm the detention of any Australians,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“Australia has been part of the international call on Israel to comply with the binding orders of the International Court of Justice, including to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance at scale.”
Supporters of the flotilla in Australia are planning to host an event in Sydney Harbor on Sunday in a demonstration of solidarity.
Meanwhile, two activists who participated in the Gaza-bound flotilla have been brought to Israel for questioning, the Israeli foreign ministry said Saturday.
Spaniard Saif Abu Keshek, and Thiago Avila, a Brazilian, are now in Israel and “will be transferred for questioning by law enforcement authorities,” the ministry said on X.