Some Irish citizens who were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza have told lawyers representing them how they suffered “aggressive treatment and violence” in Israeli custody, including being kicked when trying to sleep, and are now being kept in a notorious desert prison.
Lawyers from Adalah, a legal centre that defends Palestinians in Israel, have met and represented 10 out of the 16 detained Irish citizens since they were taken from their boats and brought to Israel.
They are now in Ktzi’ot Prison, a vast detention facility usually used for Palestinians, in the Negev desert, though it is unclear whether they are within the main jail or a separate part used for immigration cases.
The details of their alleged treatment were given to Adalah lawyers by Irish detainees while they were in Ashdod port and before their transfer to the prison.
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“Some of them reported minor violence, being kicked when trying to sleep, which is something that we’ve seen with a few of them,” said Miriam Azem of Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel.
“Another reported that they were tied with cables behind their back for a few hours. Another mentioned pushing.”
She declined to specify which of the Irish citizens had reported the ill-treatment, saying their details would be kept private until permission was explicitly given.
[ ‘We will not stop’: Gaza flotilla blocked — but gains global spotlight ]
“We’ve seen microaggressions ... aggressive treatment and violence,” she said, in a phone interview from outside Ktzi’ot Prison, adding that overall the Irish detainees were doing “relatively okay”.
Five Irish citizens had not spoken to Adalah lawyers because they were “rushed into processing” without being given access to legal representation, Ms Azem said.
The Irish citizens have been given consular assistance since their detention, she said. She expects the deportation process to take several days.
Israeli authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel’s foreign ministry has said all the detainees “are safe and in good health” and they would be deported as soon as possible.
In all, Adalah lawyers managed to meet 331 participants of the flotilla out of more than 400 who were detained by Israeli authorities, which have prevented their attempt to breach a 17-year naval blockade on Gaza with deliveries of humanitarian aid.
The lawyers spoke to the flotilla participants at Ashdod port between 3pm local time on Thursday and 5.30am on Friday. The detainees were then moved to Ktzi’ot Prison, where hearings were ongoing inside about their pending deportation.
Participants of the flotilla said they were “denied access to water, bathrooms and medications” and “forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied for at least five hours” following their detention at sea, the Adalah legal centre said.
The legal centre described a visit by Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir – during which he berated the flotilla activists as “terrorists” – as “clearly intended as an act of humiliation and intimidation” and “a degrading display of control”.
“Participants’ rights were systematically violated during this process,” Adalah said in a statement, saying that processing and hearings had started at Ashdod port before the detainees were given access to lawyers.
The legal centre’s attorneys said they went to Ashdod port to try to gain access to the flotilla participants to offer their services, but were denied access, were left waiting for nine hours outside and were not notified when hearings began.
Again at Ktzi’ot Prison, authorities “initiated tribunal hearings without informing the legal team, proceeding entirely without legal representation”, the centre said. The lawyers were ultimately allowed into the prison and were at work representing detainees on Friday evening.
Azem said there were concerns about the treatment of the detainees within Ktzi’ot because of the reputation of the detention centre.
“The prison is a security prison reserved almost exclusively for Palestinians, where they receive very, very harsh treatment. We saw historically, and over the last two years especially, heightened violence and numerous cases of death,” Ms Azem said.
“However that being said, we’re not sure whether the participants are being held within Ktzi’ot proper or within an immigration-type facility within the complex.”
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris said in a statement on Friday: “I can confirm that a team from Ireland’s Embassy to Israel, led by the ambassador, had the opportunity to visit Ktzi’ot Prison today where officials met with Irish citizens detained following the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla. Where there were individual requests for assistance, our ambassador is following up with the Israeli authorities directly.
“We are also continuing to gather information on next steps in the process for the Irish citizens involved.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including through the Embassy to Israel, will continue to provide all possible and appropriate consular assistance.
“Officials remain in contact with family members who have requested our support. I understand that this is an exceptionally difficult time for them, and we will continue to update them as we receive more information.”
