In yet another episode of ongoing Israeli violations against international and Palestinian activists, Moroccan journalist Younes Ait Yassine, one of the participants in the international “Sumud Flotilla to Break the Siege on Gaza”, revealed that he and several other activists were subjected to verbal, physical, and psychological abuse during their detention in Israeli prisons. They were abducted at sea while en route to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Yassine’s statements came after he returned to Morocco along with two other Moroccan activists who were released following harsh detention in Ketziot Prison in the Negev desert.
According to witness accounts, Israeli occupation forces intercepted the flotilla in international waters on Wednesday evening and seized 42 vessels carrying humanitarian activists of various nationalities. This constitutes a blatant violation of international maritime law, which prohibits hostile acts beyond territorial waters.
The Israeli occupation forces transported hundreds of activists to the military Ketziot Prison, where they were subjected to degrading and inhumane conditions, including insults, physical assaults, and denial of contact with the outside world, clear breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which governs the treatment of civilians during armed conflicts.
Journalist Ait Yassine described the experience as “unprecedented,” stating they “endured suffering after being kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupation.” He added that they experienced “violations and humiliation of human dignity,” while international institutions remained silent in the face of these deliberate attacks on peaceful activists.
Not only did the Israeli occupation authorities abuse the activists, but they also boasted publicly about it. Far-right Israeli ccupation National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced that he had visited Ketziot Prison after the flotilla attack, claiming he entered the cells himself “to ensure they receive no privileges.” Shamelessly, he added, “Anyone who approaches Israeli occupation to support terrorism should feel the full extent of prison conditions.”
This statement clearly reflects the Israeli occupation’s declared intent for revenge, reinforcing the political and hostile nature of these arrests, which appear more as acts of collective punishment than legitimate security measures, blatantly contravening international legal protections for civilians and detainees.
The attack on the “Sumud Flotilla” amounts to a full-fledged war crime, carried out in international waters against vessels with a civilian and humanitarian mission. It is a flagrant violation of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which guarantees freedom of navigation and prohibits the interception of civilian ships.
Moreover, the physical and psychological abuse of activists and their denial of access to legal counsel or representatives from their home countries constitute acts of torture and cruel treatment as defined under international human rights law.
This attack comes within the broader context of the ongoing genocide perpetrated by the occupation in Gaza since 7 October 2023, which has so far resulted in the deaths of 67,139 people and injuries to 169,583 others, mostly women and children. Additionally, famine has claimed the lives of 460 Palestinians, including 154 children.
