Gaza flotilla survivor accuses IOF of rape while in Israeli detention

25-year-old German journalist and Freedom Flotilla Coalition activist Anna Liedtke accused Israeli occupation forces of raping her after she was abducted from a Gaza-bound aid vessel operated by the Freedom Coalition Flotilla, which sought to break “Israel’s” blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Liedtke, speaking publicly for the first time since the assault at the International Conference for Political Prisoners, said she was sexually abused while in Israeli custody after the humanitarian ship was intercepted, Press TV reported.

The journalist said Israeli forces attacked the flotilla in the autumn of 2025, roughly 100 nautical miles off the coast of Gaza, and detained activists on board.

She recalled that she was held for five days and transferred between detention facilities following her abduction.

“We were transferred from one prison to another, and during the strip searches, I was raped,” Liedtke stressed.

‘Not an isolated case’
Liedtke said she decided to speak out not only for herself but in solidarity with Palestinian victims of sexual abuse in Israeli detention.

She described her assault as part of a wider pattern of mistreatment rather than an isolated incident.

“I speak out on behalf of Palestinian men and women who have experienced sexual violence and sexual torture in the prisons,” she said, including those who remain detained.

She added that responsibility lies with perpetrators, not victims, stressing that “rapists are the ones who should be ashamed of their heinous acts, not victims.”

Accounts from Palestinian detainees
Liedtke said she had heard testimonies from Palestinian detainees during her detention, particularly from women, about sexual abuse inside Israeli prisons.

“A couple of times we heard from Palestinian prisoners, especially female prisoners, about the situation in the Zionist prison,” she said.

Since the start of “Israel’s” war on Gaza in October 2023, more than 90 Palestinian detainees have died in Israeli custody, according to Palestinian prisoners’ rights groups, which say the true number may be significantly higher.

Those groups cite torture, physical assault, deliberate medical neglect, and malnutrition as causes of death. Based on detainee testimonies, official records, and documented evidence, advocacy organisations say there has been an unprecedented rise in abuse against detained Palestinians.

Rights groups document sexual violence
In August 2024, Israeli human rights group B’Tselem published a report titled “Welcome to Hell,” describing “Israel’s” prison system as a “network of torture camps.”

The report documented physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including “repeated use of sexual violence” and “gang sexual violence and assault committed by a group of prison guards or soldiers.”

Israeli Channel 12 later broadcast leaked footage reportedly showing Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee.

A United Nations inquiry earlier this year concluded that Israeli forces had used sexualized torture and rape as “a method of war… to destabilize, dominate, oppress and destroy the Palestinian people.”

Liedtke said her decision to speak publicly was intended to ensure such charges are not ignored and that the experiences of Palestinian detainees, in particular, remain visible.