Overview

• A first group of 137 activists detained after Israel intercepted roughly 40 Gaza-bound boats arrived in Istanbul on Saturday, while several hundred others remain in Israeli custody awaiting expulsion.
• Witnesses including Hazwani Helmi and Windfield Beaver said Greta Thunberg was shoved and forced to display an Israeli flag, and Turkish participant Ersin Celik alleged she was dragged and humiliated.
• Adalah reported detainees were zip-tied and forced to kneel for hours and denied medication and water, and a Swedish foreign ministry email relayed Thunberg’s account of bedbugs, dehydration and insufficient food.
• Israel’s foreign ministry called the abuse claims “complete lies,” saying detainees received food, water, restrooms and legal access, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir praised staff and labeled flotilla members terrorism supporters.
• Turkey’s prosecutor opened an investigation concerning its nationals, Italy said 26 citizens were among those deported and 15 await removal, and governments pressed for consular protections as deportations continue.