An American citizen detained by Israeli authorities during the Global Sumud Flotilla-an initiative aimed at delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza-has reported experiencing severe mistreatment and psychological abuse while in custody.
David Adler, who was released and deported to Jordan on Tuesday, recounted that after Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla in international waters, the activists were transported to a detention facility located in the Negev desert in southern Israel.
“We were forcibly taken, stripped of our belongings, bound with zip ties, blindfolded, and transported in a police van to a detention camp without access to food, water, or legal counsel,” Adler explained. “Throughout the following five days, we endured intermittent psychological torment.”
In an audio statement provided to Al Jazeera via the advocacy organization Progressive International, Adler revealed that he and another Jewish activist were singled out and compelled to pose for photographs with Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
“Following the interception, we were aggressively forced onto our knees in submissive postures. The two Jewish members of the flotilla were then dragged by the ear from the group for a staged photo with Ben-Gvir, forced to face the Israeli flag while being mocked by his associates,” Adler recounted.
He described his detention as a “five-day ordeal marked by repeated and systematic violations of our fundamental human rights.”
‘My Jewish Heritage Compels Me’
Adler, who serves as co-general coordinator at Progressive International, added that riot police would conduct nighttime raids on the prison, deploying attack dogs to intimidate and frighten detainees.
His account adds to mounting reports of abuse against flotilla participants, which included notable figures such as climate activist Greta Thunberg.
The flotilla, comprising over 40 vessels and approximately 470 participants from around the globe, sought to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza-a blockade that has contributed to a severe humanitarian crisis in the region.
Israel’s interception of the flotilla in international waters last week has been condemned by human rights organizations as a violation of international law.
Adler was among more than 20 U.S. citizens detained and was one of the last to be released.
Earlier this week, nearly two dozen legislators from Adler’s home state of California sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging diplomatic efforts to secure his release.
Prior to the interception, Adler shared a social media post reflecting on his Jewish identity and his reasons for joining the flotilla.
“If there is one teaching from the Torah that remains vivid to me, it is this commandment: ‘Justice, justice you shall pursue.’ How can we remain silent while the State of Israel distorts this sacred duty, overseeing a humanitarian catastrophe for the Palestinian people?” Adler wrote.
“I joined this mission like any other delegate-to stand up for humanity before it’s too late. Yet on Yom Kippur, I am reminded that my Jewish heritage also calls me to act.”
U.S. Officials’ Response and Hostile Remarks
Adler reported that U.S. consular officials failed to provide assistance to him and other detained Americans during their imprisonment in Israel.
“The U.S. consul told us, ‘We are not here to babysit you. You will have no food, no water, no money, no phones, no flights,'” Adler said. “‘We’re taking you directly to the airport, and from there, you’re on your own.'”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee publicly criticized Adler, labeling him a “self-centered pawn of Hamas” and echoed unfounded Israeli claims that the flotilla was “funded by Hamas.”
Supporters of Palestinian rights and many residents of Gaza welcomed the flotilla’s efforts, viewing it as a powerful example of grassroots activism aimed at alleviating suffering, even if the mission did not reach Gaza’s shores.
In his statement, Adler condemned the treatment of the activists as indicative of “how far Israel has strayed from respecting basic international humanitarian laws.”
“I am fully aware that our experience pales in comparison to the daily hardships faced by Palestinians,” he acknowledged.
Israel currently holds thousands of Palestinian prisoners, many detained without formal charges or trials.
Human rights organizations and United Nations experts have documented widespread and systematic torture of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, including methods such as starvation and sexual violence.
Among those imprisoned is Mohammed Ibrahim, a U.S. teenager arrested in the occupied West Bank in February, who has reportedly lost over 25% of his body weight since his detention, according to his family.
Requests for comment from the Israeli government’s Press Office and the U.S. Department of State were not answered by the time of publication.
