Demonstrators holding Palestinian flags gather at Piazza dei Cinquecento during a rally held as part of a general strike called by trade unions to protest rearmament programs, condemn the genocide against Palestinians, and support the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, in Rome, Italy on May 18, 2026. [Claudia Chieppa – Anadolu Agency]
The Arab legal rights centre in Israel, Adalah, said it had documented severe violence, including electric shocks, physical and psychological abuse, and broken ribs, against detainees from the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli forces.
In a statement issued on Wednesday evening and received by Anadolu Agency, the centre said its legal team had “provided legal consultations to hundreds of detainees” who took part in the flotilla, amid testimonies of “severe violence,” humiliation and serious injuries allegedly inflicted by Israeli forces.
The statement came after widespread anger and condemnation following a video showing far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir overseeing what was described as the mistreatment of detained activists.
The video showed detainees kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs and their foreheads on the ground.
