French activist Hadjal: We were beaten, sexually assaulted, and tortured
Meriem Hadjal, a French activist of the Global Sumud Fleet, stated that she was beaten and sexually assaulted by Israeli soldiers when she was detained by the occupying Israeli forces.
Meriem Hadjal, a member of the Freedom Waves France Association, was among the French activists participating in the Spring 2026 Mission of the Global Sumud Fleet.
On May 18, Israeli soldiers attacked the boat carrying Hadjal in international waters and detained all activists on board.
The 38-year-old Hadjal described the violence and sexual assault she suffered during her detention by the occupying Israeli forces to an Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent in Paris.
Hadjal said she joined this year's mission of the Global Sumud Fleet to break the illegal blockade that has been ongoing in the Gaza Strip since 2007, to protest the ongoing genocide, and to open a humanitarian corridor.
"We were all forced to kneel with our hands tightly bound"
Emphasizing that the activists in the fleet were kidnapped in international waters according to international law, Hadjal stated: "My boat was seized on Monday, May 18, around 15:00. A boat with occupying Israeli soldiers approached us. They boarded the boat without any warning. We had life jackets on, and we raised our hands against any fire."
Hadjal noted that the Israeli soldiers tied the hands of male activists, searched all activists and the boat, and then took everyone to a military vessel. She continued:
"When we arrived at this military vessel, the violence began immediately. Men and women, we were all forced to kneel with our hands tightly bound. Then our warm clothes, cardigans, keffiyehs, scarves, sweaters, and sneakers were removed."
Stating that the activists were laid face down on the floor, Hadjal said she was left with only a t-shirt and pants, and her socks were completely wet because the floor was damp.
Hadjal mentioned there were many young soldiers on the ship, adding, "We never looked at them; we had to keep our heads down. They were pushing our heads toward the ground."
"We suffered violence and torture; we were beaten"
Noting that their passports were checked while on the ship and there were 4 containers, Hadjal described a container called the "black room":
"We passed through this container one by one, men and women. We were beaten, sexually assaulted, tortured, and subjected to unimaginable violence. Many of us are experiencing physical and psychological trauma. They had set up a prison on this ship, which we call the torture ship, consisting of 4 containers. We suffered violence and torture there; we were beaten."
Hearing the screams of her friends passing through the black room, Hadjal said, "I was terrified. I thought I would be raped. I suffered a terrible sexual assault. It was truly inhumane."
Hadjal noted that inside the container there were Israeli killer soldiers and one activist. She said, "When I entered, one of my activist friends was lying face down on the floor with his pants pulled down. His underwear was visible."
Stating that they pulled her inside and applied pressure to the back of her neck, Hadjal said that an Israeli soldier in the black room touched her chest and sexually assaulted her.
Hadjal added: "At one point, he said to me, 'Come with me.' I refused to follow him and stopped. At that moment, he started slapping my face. I was protecting my face. They were extremely deafening slaps." She also mentioned that one of the Israeli soldiers in the container grabbed her by the hair.
Noting that a soldier on her right side delivered a hard knee strike to her ribs, Hadjal said, "He was saying, 'Show me your face.' I didn't want to lift my head, and he gave me hard slaps."
Describing how a soldier led her toward the container door, Hadjal emphasized that she saw bloodstains on the floor and feared moving forward because she thought other soldiers were waiting.
"No matter how much I thank Turkey, it is not enough"
Hadjal said, "These detention conditions reminded me of one of the darkest periods in French history: World War II," pointing out that during that war, people in Europe were locked in train cars, left hungry and thirsty, beaten, and subjected to inhumane treatment.
Noting that many male activists had broken ribs and that Israeli soldiers heavily targeted non-white activists, Hadjal shared her feelings upon seeing the Turkish planes that came to pick up the activists in Israel:
"No matter how much I thank Turkey, it is not enough. Those three planes on the runway are still vivid in my mind. At that moment, I said, 'It's over, we are saved.'"
Hadjal emphasized that they were taken care of in Turkey, and after getting off the plane, there was a large organization, including doctors, to welcome the activists.
Stating that no one greeted them when they arrived in France, only police checked their passports, Hadjal said, "The state completely ignores us."
Expressing sadness for leaving the Palestinians behind, the French activist noted that Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons experience worse conditions.
Hadjal concluded by saying that the activists experienced terrible things and have trauma, and that we must also listen to what Palestinian prisoners go through.
