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Hamas Demands ICC Action Over 'Humiliation' of Gaza Flotilla Activists
(MENAFN) Hamas on Wednesday lashed out at Israel over its treatment of detained aid volunteers aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, condemning what it described as "scenes of abuse and humiliation" and attributing the conduct to a state of "moral degradation and sadism" at the highest levels of Israeli leadership.
The Palestinian group characterized the actions as a "desperate attempt to break the will of the activists and deter them from carrying out their humanitarian role in breaking the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip," according to a statement it released Wednesday.
Hamas called for the immediate release of all detained activists and implored the international community to systematically document the alleged violations and submit urgent complaints to the International Criminal Court to pursue accountability for what it termed war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The outcry followed a video posted by Israeli National Security Minister and government coalition partner Itamar Ben-Gvir, which showed activists being subjected to humiliating treatment upon their arrival at Ashdod Port. Transportation Minister Miri Regev separately uploaded footage of her own, in which she branded the detained individuals "terror supporters" and "drugged with alcohol."
Further footage broadcast by Israeli media depicted activists kneeling on the ground, hands bound behind their backs and faces pressed to the floor, as Israel's national anthem played in the background.
Flotilla organizers said Israeli forces intercepted a total of 50 vessels in international waters on Monday, detaining 428 people representing 44 nationalities — among them 78 Turkish citizens. The convoy had set out the previous Thursday from the Turkish district of Marmaris in a renewed bid to pierce the Israeli blockade on Gaza, which has been in place since 2007.
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