Australian Gaza aid flotilla activists allege abuse after Israeli abduction

One activist says she was dragged, sexually assaulted and beaten while detained by Israeli authorities.Australian activists detained by Israel while on a flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza have returned home, and organisers allege abuse, sexual assaults and beatings that put some detainees in hospital.One activist reached Melbourne on Sunday evening while others arrived in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Gaza flotilla activists allege abuse, sexual assault in Israeli detentionlist 2 of 3France bans far-right Israeli minister Ben-Gvir over abuse of activistslist 3 of 3Police beat and detain Gaza flotilla activists at airportend of listJuliet Lamont, an Australian activist and documentary filmmaker, told the Reuters news agency on Monday that she was dragged, sexually assaulted and beaten when she was detained.“That was just the beginning of four days of absolute hell. I’ve looked into the eyes of the most soulless people in the universe, and nothing came back. These people need to be stopped,” Lamont said.Another Australian activist, Sam Woripa Watson, said he sustained a fractured rib along with bruises and cuts across his body. Watson also said he witnessed activists being Tasered and shot with rubber bullets and said stun grenades were thrown at them.Eleven Australians were among the 430 volunteers on 50 boats intercepted in international waters last week by Israeli forces aiming to stop the flotilla from delivering aid to the besieged Gaza Strip. The flotilla included people from 40 countries.Organisers of the aid flotilla said the activists, who were kidnapped from international waters, faced abuse while in Israeli detention, including at least 15 reporting incidents of sexual assault or rape.Malaysian official promises to take Israel to courtMeanwhile, a Malaysian regional official said his country was prepared to launch legal proceedings against Israel over the alleged mistreatment of Malaysian activists once lawyers finalise the collection of information and supporting evidence, local media reported on Monday.