🔗 Share this article

Loved ones of arrested participants from New Zealand have voiced worries about poor conditions in Israel's custody, involving limited availability to clean water and legal representation.

Flotilla Activists Experience Deportation

Over seventy activists from multiple countries are scheduled to be deported from Israel, featuring twenty-eight French nationals, 27 Greeks, fifteen Italian nationals, and nine Swedes.

Loved One Accounts of Difficult Situations

The father of one detainee expressed deep concern about his son's circumstances, saying: "I'm deeply concerned about Samuel, as he sits in a detention cell right now, in a restricted area crammed with numerous individuals... he has been denied water and legal representation."

Injuries and Management

The sister of another detainee stated that her sister had suffered an injury to her shoulder, though the loved ones remained unclear about the specifics of how it happened.

"I urge the government to take action and bring our loved ones safely unharmed and in good health," the relative stated.

Official Responses

New Zealand's ministry of foreign affairs issued a official comment stating that a consular partner in the region had met with the New Zealanders and that additional assistance would be made available in the near future.

Simultaneously, Israel's diplomatic authorities has denied claims that some activists were prevented from seeing their legal representatives and stated that the legal rights of the detainees were being "entirely maintained."

Further Reports of Harsh Conditions

Legal representatives representing the detained participants have claimed that some of those in custody have experienced mistreatment and physical violence while in detention facilities.

• Refusal of medical treatment and necessary medicines
• Reportedly, a female detainee was forced to remove her hijab
• Inadequate access to essential items

Government Positions

The co-leader of New Zealand's Green Party, Chlöe Swarbrick, stated to a press conference that the arrested citizens were working to build a world "wherein our humanity truly matters."

At the same time, the government official the minister accused other officials of "artificial anger" and stated that members of the humanitarian mission were "looking for publicity" and had been told not to engage with the expedition.

The leader the official informed the media that representatives had expressed "very strongly to the officials" that the safety of citzens was paramount.

However, the leader declined to criticize Israel's stopping of the flotilla because there were "arguments on multiple sides."