'Normalisation did not protect us': Sumud Flotilla's North African activists say Israel specifically targeted them after arrest

The last group of Tunisian activists detained by Israeli forces after the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla was released on Tuesday morning and handed over to Jordanian authorities at the King Hussein Bridge.

At 10 am, local time, fifteen Tunisians arrived at the border crossing between the occupied West Bank and Jordan. They included unionists, journalists, and the Sumud Maghreb Flotilla's spokesperson Wael Naouar.

Participants from Algeria, Morocco, Kuwait, Libya, Jordan, Pakistan, Bahrain, Turkey, and Oman were also released.

The flotilla was an international humanitarian fleet bound for Gaza with more than 450 foreign activists on board.  Israeli forces seized the 44-strong fleet in international waters on 2 October. 

As of the time of publication, five participants of the Sumud Flotilla have not been released, including two Moroccans, two Norwegians, and a Nigerian.

"Their resilience in the face of what they endured, from psychological to physical torture, is remarkable," said the flotilla's legal team in a statement.  The team thanked Adalah, a leading Palestinian Arab human rights organisation in Israel, for its "tireless efforts under extreme restrictions."

Flotilla activists describe what they say was a "kidnapping" at sea, followed by days of physical and psychological abuse inside Israel's infamous Ketziot Prison in the Negev desert.

"It was worse for those from North Africa—Tunisians, Algerians, Moroccans—they targeted us specifically," said Ayoub Harbaoui, a Moroccan participant, who arrived in Tunis yesterday. 

"They treated us like enemies, not humanitarians. (...) For nearly twelve hours, they kept us out on the deck in the cold, spraying us with water. When they took us to prison, we were assaulted."

Harbaoui said he was aboard "the Deir Yassin", one of the first ships raided by Israeli commandos. 

He listed several North African participants who he said were assaulted, including Tunisians Wael Nawar and Yassin Qaidi, as well as Moroccan activist Aziz Ghali. 

Inside the Negev prison, Harbaoui said detainees could hear Israeli warplanes heading toward Gaza. "We could tell when airstrikes were starting," he said. 

For Moroccan journalist and activist Youness Ayt Yassin, the experience was bitterly ironic. Despite coming from a country that normalised ties with Israel in 2020, he said his nationality only deepened the abuse.

"When they learned I was Moroccan, they tied me up, beat me, and threw me in a freezing truck for six hours," Ayt Yassin said, draped in a keffiyeh, standing in front of Casablanca airport.  "They made it clear that our government's normalisation meant nothing. To them, we were still enemies."

Tunisian captain Mohamed Mohyi Ali Eddin, who helmed one of the ships, said he was shocked to find Tunisian-Israeli guards among his interrogators. 

"It broke my heart to hear a Tunisian cursing me in our dialect, humiliating me in prison," he said upon arriving at Carthage airport. "But their insults only strengthened us. They are soulless creatures stripped of any humanity."

He described Israeli soldiers as "cowardly" during the raid. "They were heavily armed, yet terrified," he said. "They tried to project power, but in truth, Israel is weaker than the image it sells to the world."

Several other activists said they were assaulted, including Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament, and Yasmin Acar, a member of the flotilla's steering committee. 

Turkish journalist and Sumud Flotilla participant Ersin Celik told local media outlets he witnessed Israeli forces "torture" Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, describing how she was "dragged on the ground" and "forced to kiss the Israeli flag."

According to legal teams supporting the flotilla, participants from 44 countries were detained after Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla in international waters; an act widely condemned as a violation of maritime and humanitarian law.

The Adalah group said that activists were denied medication and blocked from speaking with lawyers. Israel's foreign ministry dismissed the claims as "complete lies," insisting all detainees were treated according to law.

Their detention sparked an outpouring of solidarity worldwide, including in the Maghreb countries, where rights groups pressured governments to act quickly to bring the activists home. 

Yet, two Moroccans, Abdelazim Ben Draaoui and prominent rights activist Aziz Ghali, remained in Israeli custody at the time of writing, according to the Maghreb Sumud Flotilla group.

Although the activists reported receiving some diplomatic support from their home countries, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria have yet to issue any public statements directly condemning the arrests.

"It was the pressure of our people that freed us," Harbaoui said "Not governments. The people forced them to act. We must keep marching until the last detainee is released, and until Gaza is free."

In Tunis, as the freed activists made their way into Jordan, well-wishers gathered with flowers and sweets, hoping to greet them.

But the activists had a different plan. 

"We don't want a welcome party. Meet us at Carrefour," they said during a Facebook Live broadcast from their bus to the airport. Carrefour, a French store listed by the BDS movement, is criticised by activists for allegedly supporting the Israeli military, and they view its Tunisian outlets as a symbol of normalisation.