A Melbourne woman has touched down in Australia, alleging she and fellow detainees were mistreated by Israeli authorities after their Gaza-bound flotilla was intercepted.
Gemma O’Toole was the first of 11 Australians released by Israel to arrive home on Sunday night, where she was greeted by her parents and more than 100 supporters at Melbourne Airport.
Amid long hugs, tears, and chants of support, O’Toole – flanked by her parents, Dr Patrick Keyzer and Dr Suzie O’Toole – personally thanked all the people who came to welcome her home, vowing that this would not be the end of the matter.
O’Toole alleged that she and around 480 activists were physically, mentally and, in some cases, sexually abused after they were intercepted by the IDF on May 18 while sailing with the Global Sumud Flotilla towards Gaza where they intended to deliver aid.
The treatment of the detained activists was thrown into the international spotlight last Thursday when Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir published a video of him taunting groups of detainees who were zip-tied and forced to kneel on the ground.
The videos received widespread international condemnation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the actions were “not in line with Israel’s values and norms”, but the flotilla’s mission amounted to unnecessary provocation.
On Sunday, O’Toole and her family demanded an audience with the prime minister and called for more action against Israel following her experiences in Israeli custody.
“It was definitely the weirdest week of my life and definitely the worst week of my life,” O’Toole said.
“I haven’t seen much of the media reporting as I haven’t had a phone for a long time but I gather there is a lot of attention on the Ben-Gvir video which is so insane to me,” O’Toole said.
“What you saw in that video is an infinitesimal amount of what we actually went through.
“Then to think that is what they do to predominantly white people when they are being, relatively, held to account.”
In a video posted to Free Gaza Australia’s Instagram account, O’Toole said she was strip-searched multiple times and repeatedly “pushed in the chest” by male guards.
“Me personally, I was strip-searched, repeatedly pushed in the chest with a man grabbing my boobs, asking me if I was a girl or a boy,” O’Toole said in the video.
She added that they were unable to sleep as guards would wake them every 30 minutes to be moved rooms and recounted.
Israel’s Australian ambassador Hillel Newman told ABC’s 7.30 program last week no one was hurt during the interception of the activists.
“No one was hurt, the interception was done very smoothly,” Hillel Newman told the 7.30 program. He “refuted completely” any allegations of sexual humiliation, said claims of “violence is not true” and that “many accusations thrown out there are not true”.
But when told of that comment, O’Toole said there were around 80 activists in hospital in Turkey, and she had visited five of them before she flew home including people with broken vertebrae, broken legs and a fractured sternum and collapsed lung.
“Everyone is so deeply traumatised,” O’Toole said.
Newman, who is three months into his posting, had been hauled before the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Thursday afternoon on Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s orders.
The government aimed to “reinforce” its displeasure over a video posted by Ben-Gvir.
“We condemn his actions and the degrading actions of Israeli authorities towards those detained,” Wong said in a statement on Thursday, calling the video “shocking and unacceptable”.
“Australia’s ambassador to Israel has made representations to Israel, reiterating our call for the release of the detained Australians and for Israel to ensure no ill treatment of any detainees and to act in line with international obligations. I also directed DFAT to call in Israel’s ambassador to Australia to reinforce this message.”
The Australian activists onboard the flotilla were Juliet and Isla Lamont, Zack Schofield, Surya McEwen, Dr Bianca Webb-Pullman, Anny Mokotow, Neve Barwick O’Connor, Sam Woripa Watson, Violet Coco, Helen O’Sullivan and O’Toole.
O’Toole’s parents called for serious action from the Australian government against Israel, and they want an audience with the prime minister to make their case.
“If that is what they are prepared to do to Australians, on camera, imagine what they are doing to Palestinians who are locked up for years and years and years,” Keyzer said.
“I’m really angry. We want an audience with the prime minister. This doesn’t stop here.”
Suzie O’Toole said she was incredibly proud of her daughter and enraged at the treatment of the activists.
“I’m enraged, exhausted but absolutely furious that my daughter and all those other brave activists were kidnapped by Israel, held hostage, bashed and sleep-deprived all because they got on boats to take aid to starving people,” she said.
“They sailed on those boats because governments around the world, including Australia, haven’t pushed back against Israel in their relentless killing and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians.
“She is clearly traumatised, we really need to get her home and start putting the pieces back together.”
With Bronte Gossling and Nick Newling
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Roy Ward is a sports writer, live blogger and breaking news journalist. He’s been writing for The Age since 2010.Connect via X or email.
