Freedom Flotilla slams Israeli sexual crimes against volunteers, calls for global action

Israeli police and prison authorities sexually assaulted participants who were abducted following Israel’s illegal interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla in October, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) says.

In a public statement released on Friday, the FFC said the violations followed Israel’s attack on flotilla vessels in international waters on October 8, 2025, which resulted in the abduction of hundreds of peaceful civilians.

“Sexual crimes constitute egregious violations of human dignity and grave breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law. FFC condemns these acts in the strongest possible terms,” the statement read.

The coalition demanded immediate, independent investigations and full accountability for everyone involved.

The case came to light on December 21, 2025, when German journalist Anna Liedtke revealed at an international conference that Israeli personnel raped her during detention after she resisted a forced strip search. The FFC said it is supporting Liedtke and following her lead on public disclosure.

Liedtke is not the only survivor. The coalition confirmed that Italian journalist Vincenzo Fullone and Australian activist Surya McEwen also suffered sexual violations while held by Israeli authorities.

Two former Palestinian prisoners recount sexual abuse in Israeli detention

The former prisoners described systematic beatings, sexual assault, and torture while held in the Israeli regime’s custody.

“The horrific assault on flotilla volunteers must be understood in the broader context of an entrenched system of violence in which Israeli soldiers, police, and prison guards have long operated with impunity,” the FFC said.

“Sexual violence, including rape, gang-rape, humiliating strip searches, and other forms of sexual torture, has been repeatedly committed against Palestinians in Israeli custody and documented by Palestinian and international human rights organizations,” it added.

Investigations by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) show the systematic use of sexual torture against Palestinian detainees.

These abuses have intensified since Israel launched its genocidal assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023, and constitute torture under international law.

The FFC also cited United Nations reports on widespread sexual and gender-based violence by Israeli forces against abducted Palestinians. International rights groups have classified such acts as war crimes.

The coalition condemned major media outlets for failing to report consistently on these crimes. “This silence erases survivors, distorts public understanding, and enables continued abuse,” it said.

Impunity, the FFC emphasized, is built into Israel’s political and legal system. Investigations rarely result in prosecutions and often shield perpetrators rather than protect victims.

The FFC said it will continue pursuing accountability through international legal channels, human rights reporting, and coordinated advocacy.

It called on the United Nations to demand access to detention facilities and to launch an independent inquiry, and urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate all reports of sexual violence and torture in Israeli custody.

Since October 7, 2023, Israeli forces have killed more than 71,000 Palestinians and wounded over 171,000, the majority women and children, in its genocidal war on Gaza.

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