STORY: Some 137 activists detained by Israel for taking part in a flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza arrived in Turkey on Saturday(October 4th) after being deported, with two alleging that Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg was mistreated during her detention.

Israel did not immediately comment on the new allegations, but its foreign ministry earlier described reports that detainees had been mistreated as "complete lies".

The activists who landed at Istanbul Airport included 36 Turkish nationals, as well as citizens from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia and Jordan, Turkish foreign ministry sources said.

Two of them, Hazwani Helmi, a Malaysian citizen, and Windfield Beaver, an American citizen, told Reuters at the airport that they had witnessed Thunberg being mistreated, saying she was shoved and forced to wear an Israeli flag.

"It was a disaster. They treated us like animals," said Helmi, 28, adding that detainees were not provided with clean food or water and that medication and belongings were confiscated.

Beaver, 43, said Thunberg was "treated terribly" and "used as propaganda", describing how she was pushed into a room as Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived.

Israel has faced international condemnation after its military intercepted all of about 40 boats in a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza and detained more than 450 activists.

Its foreign ministry wrote on X that all detained activists were "safe and in good health", adding it was keen to complete the remaining deportations "as quickly as possible".

In a separate X post, it accused some flotilla members of "deliberately obstructing" the deportation process, without providing evidence. Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegation.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: ISTANBUL, TURKEY (OCTOBER 4, 2025) (REUTERS – Access All)

1. VARIOUS OF ACTIVISTS THAT WERE PART OF GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA LEAVING VIP TERMINAL AT ISTANBUL AIRPORT AS SUPPORTER CHEER

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MALAYSIAN ACTIVIST PART OF SUMUD FLOTILLA, IYLIA BALQIS, 28, SAYING:

“It was a disaster. I can say, like they treat, treated us like animal. They didn't provide us clean food, clean water.”

3. ACTIVISTS HAZWANI HELMI AND IYLIA BALQIS TAKING SELFIES WITH OTHERS / BALQIS SAYING, “Free Palestine”

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MALAYSIAN ACTIVIST, HAZWANI HELMI, 28, SAYING:

“The moment I remember she dragged her very intensely and they even like put the Israeli flag on her face and they even put Greta (Thunberg) on a trolley. Like they treated her like animal.”

5. BALQIS HUGGING OTHERS

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MALAYSIAN ACTIVIST, HAZWANI HELMI, 28, SAYING:

“They throw all of our medication, the essential and up until today, our stuff. We didn't get any stuff. Our baggage and so on. So I think the world needs to know the cruelty from the Israeli. They are so, so cruel people.”

7. ACTIVISTS AND SUPPORTERS AT EXIT OF VIP TERMINAL

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. ACTIVIST ON BOARD ‘OHWAYLA’ ON SUMUD FLOTILLA, WINDFIELD BEAVER, 43, SAYING:

“She was treated terribly, you know, I mean, she (Greta Thunberg) was like - they draped her in an Israeli flag and they just pushed and pulled her wherever they wanted and for whatever propaganda they wanted. I was like three people in front of her in line and she came close to this private room and they just shoved her really aggressively and put her in the room. And then (Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar) Ben-Gvir arrives and goes into the room with her. And they were just, you know, it was awful, but they were trying to use her as propaganda for their optics. But she was just treated like a piece of trash. You know.”

9. ACTIVISTS AND SUPPORTERS AT EXIT OF VIP TERMINAL

10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. ACTIVIST, WINDFIELD BEAVER, 43, SAYING:

“They seemed to be mean-spirited on purpose. But it was, it was strange because they, because of the solidarity of the people of the world that their capacity for violence was restrained. And so then they were just disorganized. It was very strange. It's like they were very mean.”

11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ITALIAN ACTIVIST, CAPTAIN OF ‘MARIA CHRISTINA’ BOAT ON SUMUD FLOTILLA, TOMMASO PORTOLAZZI, 42, SAYING:

“And last day in the jail when my company were praying, the first prayer of the morning. Israelis entered with violence and tried to stop this. And I can't stay more still. And so I did my opposition with them.”

12. PEOPLE OUTSIDE VIP TERMINAL

13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ITALIAN ACTIVIST, CAPTAIN OF ‘MARIA CHRISTINA’ BOAT ON SUMUD FLOTILLA, TOMMASO PORTOLAZZI, 42, SAYING:

“I've never lived something similar. It's just a little part of what Palestinian people can live there because our treatment is different, was better, but it was really, really bad. Not human, not humanity. Guys, they are like, I don't know, fanatic really. As nobody else in the world I've seen before. Something really bad.”

14. PEOPLE OUTSIDE VIP TERMINAL

15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MALAYSIAN ACTIVIST, IYLIA BALQIS, 28, SAYING:

“It's very disgusting how they treated us in the prison. They had a very much protocol, so-called protocol just to make us feel so disgusted with ourselves. And we had to change our clothes. And then they will put us into a cage under a very sunny bright. And then they didn't treat us as a hijabi. Some of our Muslim women, they even denied their hijab. And then when we were in cell, they didn't even give us clean water and also medicine. Even when we asked and one woman was in serious dire need of medicine, they denied it. They say if she didn't die yet, then it's okay. And then we had to drink from the tap water in the toilet.”

16. VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS OF ACTIVISTS OUTSIDE VIP TERMINAL