A judge in Italy is probing complaints filed by Italian activists who participated in the Gaza-bound aid flotilla that was attacked by Israeli naval forces earlier this month.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Rome has launched an investigation based on complaints filed by 36 Italian activists, Italian news agency ANSA reported on Tuesday.
The complaints detail attacks by drones, unlawful detention, mistreatment, and violations committed during their detention.
The flotilla was attacked by the Israeli navy in international waters at the start of this month, and boats were intercepted one after the other as they approached Gaza’s shore.
Its participants – including renowned Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela, and several European lawmakers – were detained and later deported.
Activists have spoken about their mistreatment, abuse and torture at the hands of Israeli forces. They were also taunted by Israel’s extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who called them "terrorists," in a video that went viral.
On Monday, Italian activist Antonio La Picirella filed a personal complaint in which he stated that he was subjected to torture while in Israeli custody. He described the seizure of the ships participating in the flotilla as a violation of human rights.
The complaints filed against Israel include accusations of attempted murder, actions endangering maritime navigation, piracy, unlawful detention, mistreatment, and torture.
The opening of the investigation is considered to be a first step toward establishing accountability for the Israeli attacks against the Global Freedom Flotilla and its humanitarian mission.
The flotilla had attempted to deliver symbolic amounts of aid to Gaza, where hundreds of people starved to death amid Israel's war and siege of the territory.
A fragile ceasefire this month which ended the two-year war has seen less than 1000 aid trucks enter the devastated Gaza Strip in 10 days, while Israel continues to impose restrictions and the main Rafah border crossing with Egypt remains shut.
The ceasefire agreement stipulated that 600 aid trucks should enter the Gaza Strip daily but this has not been implemented. The trucks are supposed to include food, medical aid, shelter materials, fuel, and gas and constitute the minimum needed to sustain life in the territory.
Israel says it will only reopen the Rafah crossing after Hamas hands over the bodies of all captives under the ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump.
In accordance with the ceasefire deal, Hamas has handed over all 20 living captives and the bodies of 16 others. The Palestinian group says 12 dead captives remain in Gaza while Israel says there are 13.
Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, but over 9,000 more are believed to remain in its jails. Released prisoners have anonymously spoken about horrific torture they suffered in Israeli detention and the bodies of dead prisoners returned by Israel have also shown signs of torture and abuse.
The war – widely recognised to be a genocide – killed over 68,000 people, most of them civilians according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Israeli violations since the ceasefire came into effect less than two weeks ago has seen more than 100 other people killed in Gaza.