Istanbul: Former Libyan Prime Minister Omar al-Hassi described harsh detention conditions and threats by Israeli forces after he was detained along with hundreds of international activists following an attack on an aid flotilla heading to Gaza. Al-Hassi, who led the National Salvation Government in Tripoli from 2014 to 2015, spoke to Anadolu on Saturday after landing at Istanbul Airport aboard a plane carrying deported activists from Israel's Ramon Airport in Eilat.
According to Anadolu Agency, Israeli forces attacked the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters, ignoring activists' repeated assertions that they were civilians carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. Al-Hassi stated that they informed the Israeli forces that they were civilian activists aiming to deliver aid to Gaza and not posing any threat.
Al-Hassi accused Israeli forces of seizing the ship through what he described as "modern military piracy" and detailed how they were transferred to a port and held handcuffed in an open area. He recounted a visit by far-right Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who allegedly threatened the detainees with torture and imprisonment, accusing them of supporting Hamas.
The former prime minister emphasized that they were peaceful messengers carrying aid from various parts of the world, including Europe, Trkiye, North Africa, Latin America, the US, and even from Jews who support peace. He described Ben-Gvir's response as displaying contempt for the international activists.
Following Ben-Gvir's visit, al-Hassi reported that conditions worsened, with detainees subjected to degrading treatment. They spent over eight hours in poor conditions before being searched in a port warehouse, where their belongings were taken. By dawn, the activists were transported in armored vehicles to detention facilities believed to be in southern Israel, where they faced intensified interrogations and deprivation of water, food, and medical care.
Al-Hassi expressed gratitude to the Turkish government and people for their support upon their arrival, which he said helped ease their suffering. He concluded by expressing sorrow for not being able to reach Gaza's children.
Israeli naval forces attacked and seized vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla on Thursday, detaining more than 470 activists from over 50 countries as they sailed to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge Israel's blockade of the enclave. Israel has maintained the blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years. Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed over 66,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it all but uninhabitable.