Gaza flotilla activists allege mistreatment while being detained in Israel

ROME (AP) — Some of the activists detained while trying to reach Gaza by sea have returned to their home countries to describe mistreatment at the hands of Israeli guards, claims that Israel denies.

Some 450 activists were arrested as Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet of 42 boats seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid to the famine-stricken territory. Those detained between Wednesday and Friday were brought to Israel, where many remain in prison.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it offered voluntary deportation to all of the activists and those that remain in detention chose to stay there in order to go through a legal deportation process.

On his return at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport late Saturday, Italian journalist Saverio Tommasi said Israeli soldiers withheld medicines and treated prisoners “like monkeys.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, said the claims of mistreatment were “brazen lies.”

Among those detained were Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela and several European lawmakers.

Tommasi said Thunberg was singled out by Israeli forces after being arrested.

“We also saw Greta Thunberg at the port, in that case with her arms tied and an Israeli flag next to her, just a mockery,” he said. “Let’s say the mockery was part of the verbal and psychological violence they always carried out, in order to demean, ridicule and laugh in situations where there is nothing to laugh about.”

In a statement on social media, the ministry said all detainees’ legal rights had been “fully upheld,” adding that Thunberg had not complained about the “ludicrous and baseless allegations — because they never occurred.”

The interception of the flotilla came as U.S. President Donald Trump attempted to broker a fresh ceasefire initiative in Gaza, as he ordered Israel to stop bombing Gaza. Israel said it had accepted Trump's proposal, and Hamas has said it accepts some aspects. Negotiators are expected in Cairo on Monday.

Another Italian journalist, Lorenzo D’Agostino, said detainees were repeatedly woken during the two nights he spent behind bars. They were also intimidated with dogs and by soldiers pointing the laser sights of their guns at prisoners “to scare us," he said after landing at Istanbul Airport, where 137 activists from 13 countries arrived from Israel on Saturday.

D’Agostino added that his belongings and money had been “stolen by the Israelis.”

Activist Paolo De Montis described being crammed into a prison van for hours with his hands secured by zip ties.

“Constant stress and humiliation,” he said. “You weren’t allowed to look them in the face, always had to keep your head down and when I did look up, a man … came and shook me and slapped me on the back of the head. They forced us to stay on our knees for four hours.”

In a statement, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he was “proud” of the way staff behaved at Ketziot prison, a facility in the Negev desert.

“I was proud that we treat the ‘flotilla activists’ as supporters of terrorism. Anyone who supports terrorism is a terrorist and deserves the conditions of terrorists,” he said.

“If any of them thought they would come here and receive a red carpet and trumpets — they were mistaken. They should get a good feel for the conditions in Ketziot prison and think twice before they approach Israel again.”

The arrests led to criticism from several governments including Turkey, Colombia and Pakistan. Greece, which had 27 of its nationals in Israeli custody, issued a “strong written protest” to Israel over the “unacceptable and inappropriate behavior of an Israeli minister.”

The complaint is thought to refer to footage of Ben-Gvir upbraiding the activists for supporting “terrorism” and mocking their aid initiative after they were brought ashore at the southern port of Ashdod on Friday.

The Swedish Foreign Ministry said it had “acted intensively to ensure that the detained Swedes’ rights are observed.”

The interception of the flotilla also led to large-scale demonstrations in cities across the world.

Wilks reported from Istanbul. Associated Press writers Natalie Melzer in Tel Aviv, Israel, Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece, Stefanie Dazio in Berlin and Khalil Hamra in Istanbul contributed.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla pick up their luggage after arriving at Istanbul Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla give the peace sign after arriving at Istanbul Airport in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

This image taken from video released by the Israeli Foreign Ministry claims to show activist Greta Thunberg, right, as she is removed after the Israeli navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid towards Gaza on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Israeli Foreign Ministry via AP)

Israeli navy soldiers sail one of the Gaza-bound civilian flotilla Sumud's boats into the port of Ashdod, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, after it was intercepted off the Gaza coast. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

An Israeli Navy vessel sails next to two smaler boats in the Mediterranean sea close to the port of Ashdod, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Italian Democratic party leader Elly Schlein, right, welcomes members of Italian Parliament Arturo Scotto, left, and Annalisa Corrado upon their landing at the Rome Leonardo da Vinci airport after being released by Israeli authorities following their detention for being aboard boats of the Global Sumud Flottila. (Mauro Scrobogna/LaPresse via AP)

This combination of images released by the Israeli Foreign Ministry shows Greta Thunberg, second from right, with other flotilla activists after the Israeli navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Israeli Foreign Ministry via AP)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Two days after a deadly UPS plane disaster, a candlelight vigil was held Thursday in Louisville, Kentucky, to remember the victims and thank first responders, while teams still worked to find or identify people caught in the crash and subsequent firestorm.

“Our hope is that we have located all of the victims at this point. But again, we do not know,” Mayor Craig Greenberg said earlier in the day.

The inferno destroyed the enormous plane and spread to nearby businesses, killing at least 13 people, including a child and three UPS crew on the cargo hauler. No one expects to find survivors in the crash at UPS Worldport, the company’s global aviation hub.

The plane had been cleared for takeoff Tuesday when a large fire developed in the left wing and an engine fell off, said Todd Inman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation.

Meanwhile, UPS Worldport operations resumed Wednesday night with its Next Day Air, or night sort, operation, spokesperson Jim Mayer said. All three runways at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport were also open again.

Teamsters Local 89, which represents UPS workers, hosted a candlelight vigil, which began with a moment of silence at 5:14 p.m., the approximate time of the crash two days earlier.

“This incident was so sudden, so unexpected," the mayor told the crowd of 200. “No one had a chance to say goodbye to any of those who we have lost.”

Greenberg disclosed that the death toll had risen to 13. UPS, meanwhile, released the names of three people who died in the plane: Capt. Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond, all members of the Independent Pilots Association.

Bob Travis, a UPS pilot and the union’s president, told vigil attendees that the work of emergency responders, public officials and the community has been “absolutely overwhelming and amazing.”

“Everybody’s seen the video,” he said of the crash. “It’s hard not to.”

Earlier Thursday, Greenberg described the crash site as “horrific,” with “charred, mangled metal.” Part of the plane's tail, he said, appeared to be sticking out of a storage silo.

“You hear people say, ‘Oh, you only see that in the movies.’ This was worse than the movies,” Greenberg told reporters.

The plane's last data recordings showed it had reached an altitude of 475 feet (145 meters) and a speed of 210 mph (340 kph) before crashing just outside the Louisville airport, Inman said Thursday.

The engine's main component and pieces of engine fan blades were recovered from the airfield. Inman said UPS indicated that no maintenance work was performed before the flight “that would delay it in any way." He noted that investigators will look at video to see what, if anything, was being done around the MD-11 aircraft in preceding days.

The UPS package handling facility in Louisville is the company’s largest. The hub employs more than 20,000 people in the region, handles 300 flights daily and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.

The crash and explosion caused even more blasts and destruction at businesses in an industrial corridor just outside the airport.

Sabit Aliyev, the owner of Kentucky Truck Parts and Service, still doesn't know if his business is standing. He said he was inside the shop Tuesday when the burning plane passed by, followed by an explosion. He went outside and recorded what sounded like another explosion.

“It was like hell,” Aliyev said. “There was fire all over. It was sky high.”

He and his workers fled over vacant land but were suddenly trapped by a high security fence until a police officer used bolt cutters to cut open a gate.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator, said a number of things could have caused the fire as the 34-year-old plane was rolling down the runway.

“It could have been the engine partially coming off and ripping out fuel lines. Or it could have been a fuel leak igniting and then burning the engine off,” Guzzetti said.

Flight records show the UPS plane was on the ground in San Antonio from Sept. 3 to Oct. 18, but it was unclear what maintenance was performed.

“We will look at every piece of maintenance done, from the San Antonio time all the way to the date of the flight. ... It's going to be a laborious process," Inman of the NTSB said.

He said there was no reason to take any immediate safety actions against other MD-11 planes in service.

Associated Press writers John Raby in Cross Lanes, West Virginia; Ed White in Detroit; Travis Loller in Nashville, Tennessee; and Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed.

UPS jets are parked at the Worldport package sorting complex at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

A plume of smoke rises from the site of a UPS cargo plane crash at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg speaks about the crash of UPS Flight 2976 at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Louisville, Ky.. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

CORRECTS FLIGHT NUMBER Mayor Craig Greenberg speaks at Louisville Regional Airport Authority about the crash of UPS Flight 2976 at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

Plumes of smoke rise from the area of a UPS cargo plane crash at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)

CORRECTS FLIGHT NUMBER The ATC tower is seen while smoke rises from the crash site of UPS Flight 2976 near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)