Supporters waving Palestinian flags gathered at Athens airport on Thursday (May 22) to welcome home 19 Greek activists released from Israeli custody after being detained aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla attempting to deliver aid to Gaza.

Activists embraced relatives and chanted slogans as they emerged at the arrivals hall, while several alleged they had been beaten and mistreated during their detention.

Israel's prison service earlier denied the allegations, and Reuters was not able to verify them independently.

"The allegations raised are false and entirely without factual basis," an Israeli prison service spokesperson said in a statement.

"All prisoners and detainees are held in accordance with the law, with full regard for their basic rights and under the supervision of professional and trained prison staff," it said. "Medical care is provided according to professional medical judgment and in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines."

Greece’s foreign ministry said all 19 Greek citizens had returned to Athens and those requiring medical treatment were transferred to hospital.

Israeli forces arrested 430 people on board 50 ships in international waters on Tuesday to halt a flotilla of volunteers trying to bring aid supplies to the Gaza Strip.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

ATHENS, GREECE (MAY 22, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS GATHERED AT THE AIRPORT TO WELCOME HOME ACTIVISTS OF THE GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA, WAVING PALESTINIAN FLAGS, CHANTING SLOGANS, HOLDING BANNERS

2. VARIOUS OF ACTIVISTS COMING THROUGH THE ARRIVALS GATE, CHANTING THE SLOGAN (Greek): “THE PASSION FOR FREEDOM IS STRONGER THAN ANY CELL”

3. WOMAN HUGGING ANOTHER WOMAN

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) ACTIVIST, CHRISTINI DESI-LOUKA, SAYING:

“They beat us up every day. You couldn’t do anything. For whatever we were asking for, the only answer was violence, being on your knees, deprivation of water, deprivation of toilet paper for five days, and of access to very basic goods. Whenever we asked for anything the answer was stun grenades or plastic bullets or water (thrown at us).”

5. CROWD CHEERING AND CHANTING

6. TWO MEN EMBRACING

7. PEOPLE HOLDING A BANNER READING (Greek): “END COMPLICITY”

8. (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) CINEMATOGRAPHER AND ACTIVIST, PHAEDRA VOKALI, SAYING:

“I was beaten, although not as hard as others. We were subjected to collective tortures, during which we were forced to stay in stress position, spending hours on our knees listening to the Israeli national anthem, they were moving us around holding us by the head and with our hands tied behind our backs for many hours, they had us walk barefoot, there were warning shots of plastic bullets, others who were hit and couldn’t lie down were targeted with laser beams, people were shot with plastic bullets”

9. CROWD WELCOMING ACTIVISTS WITH FLOWERS

10. (SOUNDBITE)(Greek) CINEMATOGRAPHER AND ACTIVIST, PHAEDRA VOKALI, SAYING:

“We had no idea what would happen to us. The conditions were horrible. On the floating prison, terror prevailed, we had no water, food or toilet paper, we were sleeping in containers, one on top of the other. ”

11. ACTIVIST DIMITRIS BITOULAS-KOUROUSIS HUGGING HIS MOTHER

12. (SOUNDBITE)(Greek) MOTHER OF INJURED ACTIVIST DIMITRIS BITOULAS-KOUROUSIS, EMMANOUELA KOUROUSI, SAYING:

“Dimitris is injured, as are others, the ambulance is taking them to the hospital to check out their situation, so that there is evidence of what has happened to them and we are able to move procedures and seek responsibilities.”

13. BITOULAS-KOUROUSIS CHANTING (Greek): “FREEDOM TO PALESTINE”

14. (SOUNDBITE)(Greek) MOTHER OF INJURED ACTIVIST DIMITRIS BITOULAS-KOUROUSIS, EMMANOUELA KOUROUSI, SAYING:

“I was thinking that I wanted him and all the others to be alright, that they are doing something that is very difficult, very hopeful, someone has to do it and it’s them who are doing it. They have put their bodies forward and taken on a very difficult and dangerous mission.”

15. CROWD CHEERING

16. VARIOUS OF ACTIVISTS GETTING ON AMBULANCES AND DRIVING OFF TO THE HOSPITAL