Swiss Gaza flotilla activists fear for remaining detainees in Israel

Around 200 people had come to welcome the activists upon their arrival at Geneva airport. Keystone-SDA

Eight Swiss participants of the Gaza humanitarian aid flotilla arrived in Geneva on Sunday afternoon. They say they were treated 'inhumanely' and are very concerned over the fate of the activists still detained by Israel.

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“We are shocked by what we have seen and experienced”, said one of the Swiss activists on Sunday afternoon in the arrivals hall of Geneva airport, where around 200 people had come to welcome them.

This activist, speaking on behalf of his colleagues, described how the flotilla had been subjected to “a real military attack” by the Israeli navy. He then spoke of “inhumane” conditions of detention, claiming that they had been victims of “torture and abuse”.

He did not wish to say more while other activists were still imprisoned. “We will make a full statement when they return,” he said, pointing out that more than 300 members of the flotilla, including ten Swiss nationals, were still being held. “We are very concerned over their fate,” he added.

Swiss ‘inaction’ criticised

The activist also criticised the “total inaction” of the Swiss foreign ministry, which he said had done virtually nothing to help them. On the other hand, he praised the support of Turkey, which enabled them to be repatriated via Istanbul.

In all, 19 Swiss nationals were among the more than 400 activists aboard 41 ships in the flotilla that were intercepted by Israel. The activists were arrested on Thursday and Friday off the coast of Gaza.

In addition to the eight Swiss citizens who returned via Geneva on Sunday, another had landed in Zurich on Saturday. At last count, the ten other Swiss nationals are still in the Ktzi’ot detention centre in the Negev desert.

According to Annie Serrati, a spokesperson for the Waves of Freedom association (WOFA), who was present at Geneva airport on Sunday, the ten Swiss nationals are in “relatively good health”. However, she expressed concern about their conditions of detention, particularly in terms of hygiene and access to food and drinking water.

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Translated from French with DeepL/gw

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