Key PointsThe Australian Federal Police will investigate accusations that Israeli forces raped and tortured Australian activists.Eleven Australians were among nearly 400 flotilla activists who were intercepted and detained by Israeli forces last month.This story contains references to sexual assault.Israel's ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, has criticised an Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigation into allegations of sexual assault made against Israeli forces.A group of Australian activists who were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla made the allegations after being detained by Israeli forces while trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver aid.Speaking on ABC radio on Wednesday morning, Newman said that Israel will "respect the AFP" but that the investigation is a "mistake"."They're making a mistake by wasting their time on this futile incident," he said. News that makes senseYour trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.Four participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla who were detained by the Israel Defense Forces in May met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, on Monday. Senior officials from the AFP, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister for International Development, Anne Aly, were also in attendance. Following the meeting, the AFP confirmed it was looking into allegations of sexual assault, as well as kidnapping and torture.Australians detainedThe AFP will take a "victim-centric" and "trauma-informed" approach as they begin their inquiries into allegations of assault, according to a statement published by the ABC. No timeline has been provided at this stage. Eleven Australians were among the nearly 400 people intercepted and detained by the IDF on 18 May.Israel's security minister Itamar Ben-Givr, who is the subject of Australian sanctions for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, published a video of the detained activists online captioned "welcome to Israel". The video, condemned by both the Australian government and Israel's embassy in Australia, showed Ben-Givr heckling and waving an Israeli flag at detained activists. Following their release on 21 May, several detained Australians made allegations of torture and abuse by the IDF. "At least 40 of our comrades on the prison boat had broken bones, there was about 15 sexual assaults," flotilla participant Juliet Lamont said from Istanbul following deportation to Türkiye. Lamont alleged she was beaten, cable-tied and raped by Israeli soldiers while detained. 'Nothing to hide'Israel rejected claims of abuse of flotilla participants while in custody. "You can't prove a negative," Newman said.Newman said no requests for further video footage had been made to the embassy, but any request would be examined if the investigation was deemed "professional"."If this is a witch hunt trying to support wild accusations, then I'm not sure how we will respond to it.""We have nothing to hide."At Senate estimates on 4 June, Wong said the allegations were "terrible" and "unacceptable". "My principled position is to always believe women when allegations of sexual assault are made."Since returning to Australia, the testimonies of detained Australians have been submitted to the International Criminal Court.The AFP has been contacted for comment.If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.