Adalah: Ben-Gvir’s praise of IPS reflects state policy of ill-treatment and repression of flotilla participants; Adalah has documented numerous cases of mistreatment
Over the past days, Adalah has documented serious abuses suffered by the participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla, unlawfully intercepted by Israeli forces on 1 and 2 October 2025. According to testimonies, those detained were subjected to conditions that constitute clear violations of their rights under international law.
According to testimonies received by Adalah attorneys over the past two days during tribunal hearings at Ktzi’ot Prison of more than 80 participants. Participants were, as of yesterday, denied essential medical treatment and medications, including essential prescriptions for life threatening conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancer. Food and water provisions were grossly inadequate, with some participants reporting to have received no food at all. The participants are detained in overcrowded cells, and some participants were forced to sleep on the floor under harsh and unsanitary conditions.
Several participants reported that they were interrogated by unidentified personnel and others reported mistreatment and abuse by prison guards. The authorities used physical violence against some detainees, with at least one participant sustaining injuries to his hands. Other participants were blindfolded and handcuffed for prolonged periods. One woman reported being forced to remove her hijab and was provided only a shirt as a replacement, while others reported restrictions on performing prayers. This ill-treatment follows mistreatment by the navy and the police during the unlawful interceptions and towing of the vessels from international waters.
The authorities have imposed severe restrictions on access to legal counsel (Adalah), and detainees have been completely denied contact with family members by phone. As of now, 87 participants remain in detention and have not yet seen a lawyer from Adalah. Adalah attorneys are currently present in the prison conducting visits. Adalah has not yet received any confirmation regarding deportations or flight information.
The Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is responsible for the IPS, publicly praised the IPS for these conditions. In a statement, Ben-Gvir declared:
"I am proud of the Israel Prison Service officers who acted in accordance with the policy that I and Commissioner Kobi Yakobi have set. I was there, on their ships—I did not see assistance or humanitarianism. I saw one can of baby formula and a whole bunch of people pretending to be human rights activists, who in reality came to support terrorism and to celebrate against us. I visited Ktzi’ot Prison, and I took pride in the fact that we treat the ‘flotilla activists’ as supporters of terrorism. Whoever supports terrorism is a terrorist and deserves the conditions of a terrorist. If any of them thought they would come here and receive a red carpet and fanfare—they were mistaken. They should properly feel the conditions in Ktzi’ot Prison and think twice before approaching Israel again. That’s how it works.”
Adalah in response:
“These statements represent a blatant endorsement of inhumane treatment, abuse, and intimidation of the flotilla participants as state policy. Israel is applying tactics normally reserved for Palestinians in its custody, who are routinely subjected to systemic torture and horrific abuse. The treatment of flotilla participants has been unlawful from the very outset, beginning with the interception of the ships, preventing them from breaking the blockade and delivering humanitarian aid amid an ongoing genocide in Gaza, continuing with Israeli authorities treating them as having “illegally entered” the country despite being abducted from international waters, and culminating in their detention under harsh and degrading conditions that violate international law. This conduct, explicitly endorsed by the minister with authority over the IPS, demonstrates a deliberate use of repression against peaceful activists, human rights defenders, and individuals who seek to confront Israel’s ongoing crimes against Palestinians.”
