Eleven Australian nationals detained by Israeli forces while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza are set to be released and deported within 24 hours, following an international outcry over footage showing a senior Israeli minister gloating over kneeling detainees — as the father of one activist claimed his daughter had been beaten during a previous interception.
The Australians were among approximately 400 people aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza when Israeli forces intercepted the vessel at gunpoint in international waters on Tuesday. According to a statement issued on Thursday night by the Australian Delegation for Global Sumud Flotilla, the group was being transported by bus to Ramon Airport in Israel, where they were expected to board flights to Istanbul.
The detention had already generated significant international anger before footage emerged showing Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir walking through a crowd of kneeling detainees — their hands zip-tied and heads bowed to the floor — smiling and berating one of those held. The video, posted to social media by Mr Ben-Gvir himself, drew condemnation from across the political spectrum, including from within the Israeli government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar both stated the conduct was “not in line with Israel’s values.”
Israeli ambassador to Australia Dr Hillel Newman sought to reassure the public on Thursday, telling reporters in Canberra that the detained Australians were not in harm’s way and that they had been treated sensitively. Speaking to ABC’s 7.30 programme, he also rejected allegations that detainees had been subjected to violence. “Every time there’s a flotilla, there are false narratives and false accusations against the security forces of Israel,” Dr Newman said, adding that he believed the flotilla was an unnecessary provocation and that aid could reach Gaza through other legitimate means.
Those denials were directly contested by Chris O’Connor, whose 26-year-old daughter Neve, from Melbourne, was among those aboard the latest flotilla. Speaking on the same programme, Mr O’Connor said his daughter had previously been beaten by Israeli soldiers during an earlier interception near the Greek island of Crete on 29 April. “She said she was kneed in the face, she was punched in the ribs, she was dragged across the outdoor area,” he told 7.30. He also described what he called psychological mistreatment, including detainees being held in stress positions for hours, sprayed with water and subjected to cold overnight conditions in containers. Ms O’Connor was subsequently hospitalised in Crete but chose to join the latest flotilla. Her family has not heard from her since she boarded.
Mr O’Connor flatly rejected Dr Newman’s denials. “If you see the photos, there were plenty of photos of people with bruises, plenty of photos of people who had fractured ribs, plenty of video testimony,” he said. “So no, I absolutely reject that — it’s just a lie.”
Legal firm Adalah Lawyers, which acts for Arab minority rights in Israel, said it had received complaints from flotilla activists alleging the use of tasers and rubber bullets, as well as sexual harassment and degradation.
The news of the impending releases brought relief to waiting families, though not without anger. Jacinta McEwen, whose son Surya McEwen participated in the flotilla effort, said parents were furious that their children had felt compelled to sail in the first place. She called on the Australian government to act more decisively. “We are so angry that the reason our kids sailed in the first place is because of the failure of Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to show a spine as they watched children be murdered and starved to death,” she said, adding that unless the government stepped up, others would feel compelled to sail again. Mr McEwen had previously been detained by Israeli forces during an earlier flotilla attempt, during which his mother said he sustained a dislocated shoulder, a broken collarbone and broken ribs.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong had called for the detainees’ release and condemned Mr Ben-Gvir’s video, directing the Department of Foreign Affairs to summon Dr Newman to Canberra. “The images we have seen posted by Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir — who Australia has sanctioned — are shocking and unacceptable,” Senator Wong wrote on X. “We condemn his actions and the degrading actions of Israeli authorities towards those detained.”
Criticism of Mr Ben-Gvir also came from the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, whose president Daniel Aghion described his behaviour as “disgraceful.” “Nothing can excuse the appalling behaviour displayed by minister Ben-Gvir against a group of people who were being held in custody in Israel,” Mr Aghion said.
Palestinian-Australian flotilla spokesperson Subhi Awad said the minister’s conduct had exposed to the world how Israel treated unarmed civilians attempting to deliver food. “Imagine what they do to Palestinians every day off camera,” the statement said.
