Rima Hassan denounces violence during Gaza flotilla expulsion
Euro MP Rima Hassan claimed she was beaten by Israeli police after the Gaza flotilla's interception. Expelled with 171 activists including Greta Thunberg, she described harsh detention conditions in a Negev prison. Israel seized the humanitarian convoy, accusing it of Hamas ties.
The Global Sumud flotilla, departing Barcelona in early September 2025, aimed to break Israel's Gaza blockade and deliver humanitarian aid. Made up of about 50 boats, it was intercepted by the Israeli navy between October 1 and 3 off Egypt and Gaza, an action deemed illegal by organizers and Amnesty International.
Israel accuses the flotilla of being a Hamas offshoot and claims no aid was found aboard the vessels, which were diverted to Ashdod port after violating a restricted zone. Over 470 people were arrested, with expulsions starting on October 2.
On October 6, 171 additional activists, including Swedish Greta Thunberg and Franco-Palestinian Rima Hassan, were expelled to Greece and Slovakia. At Athens airport, Rima Hassan, a La France insoumise MP, told AFP: "I was beaten at the moment of getting into the van by two" Israeli police. Wearing a gray prison tracksuit, she denounced "the treatment we received from the Israeli regime" and added: "some of us were beaten".
She described overcrowded cells with 13 to 15 people on floor mats in the Negev high-security prison, where "we really lacked everything". Greta Thunberg mentioned "the ill-treatment and abuses suffered" without details. After these expulsions, 138 participants remained in Israeli detention.
The expelled included nationals from many countries: France, Sweden, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Poland, Germany, among others.