Australian doctor Zack Schofield has stated that activists on the Gaza flotilla were treated ‘worse than animals’ by Israeli forces, describing brutal beatings, sexual assault, and psychological abuse. Schofield, a climate action organiser from Newcastle, was among 428 members of the Global Sumud flotilla intercepted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) while sailing from Turkey to deliver aid to Gaza.
Allegations of Brutality
Schofield recounted watching an Irish female activist being beaten to the ground after shouting ‘free Palestine’ at Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir. ‘Her hands [and] feet were zip-tied together, and then she was dragged around the rest of the processing centre, before she was taken into a prison bus,’ he said from Istanbul after deportation. Eleven Australians were detained, alleging torture, sexual assault, beatings, and non-lethal shooting. Israeli ambassador Hillel Newman claimed detainees were handled with ‘great sensitivity’ and that no one was harmed, but all Australian activists required first aid, with three hospitalised in Turkey.
Systematic Violence
Juliet Lamont, an Australian film-maker, reported sexual assault and beatings, stating soldiers beat 180 people on her prison boat, leaving at least 40 with broken bones, while others were Tasered and sedated. ‘It was a relentless and very targeted and very planned campaign of violence so that we wouldn’t come back,’ she alleged. Schofield insisted the violence was inconsistent and arbitrary, dependent on individual guards.
Conditions in Detention
Detainees were forced to sleep in light grey prison tracksuits on cold, wet floors for two days, with four people per square metre in exposed containers. At Ktzi’ot prison, Schofield had his hands handcuffed behind his back for hours, made to lift arms ‘to the point of dislocation,’ and denied water. Guards forced them into painful stress positions and masked their faces. Ben-Gvir toured the prison, avoiding eye contact with detainees. Schofield noted, ‘The veneer of courage is pretty thin.’
International Condemnation
Ben-Gvir faced condemnation after sharing footage of himself verbally abusing kneeling, bound detainees. Even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised him, stating his actions were ‘not in line with Israel’s values and norms.’ Schofield remarked, ‘He is a wonderful example of the policies of the Israeli state.’
Motivations and Impact
Melbourne student Neve O’Connor alleged soldiers kneed her in the face and stomach, slammed her head into a table, and pulled her earrings with pliers during strip searches. Jewish Australian Anny Mokotow joined the flotilla out of frustration with the federal government’s stance, stating, ‘Gaza is being decimated, people are dying every day.’ Schofield affirmed that the experience emboldened activists: ‘Every activist on the flotilla … has only had their heart more emboldened by witnessing and experiencing the brutality of the Israeli state.’ The Israeli ministry of foreign affairs was contacted for comment.
