Elly Van Reusel remembers scratching a list of medical supplies into the metal wall as she tried to keep note of everything her comrades needed. The containers aboard the Israeli military ship were hot during the day, and no one knew where they were being taken. "It was Metoprolol, 50mg," she tells The New Arab , "Enalapril, 5mg, Eliquis, 2.5mg, Salbutamol, an inhaler, Aspirin, 100mg."
But when Elly asked the Israeli occupation soldiers if she could access medication to tend to fellow participants, the Belgian doctor with 20 years of medical experience was violently slapped across her face. Elly is one of roughly 180 people who were kidnapped in international waters by Israel late on 29 April after the Global Sumud Flotilla was unexpectedly intercepted off the coast of Greece.
They were 600 nautical miles away from Gaza. After almost 40 hours in detention in unsanitary conditions, all but two of the activists were 'dumped' on the island of Crete, some without passports, most without phones or access to credit cards. Many nationalities say their consulates have been largely absent. Elly now stands outside a large squat in Heraklion, where the local activist movement quickly mobilised to help stranded participants.
"People here of the squat, they came," Elly paused, composing herself as she considered the act of kindness. "And then they say, 'here is coffee, here is tea, here is cigarettes, here is your clothing, we have spaces here to sleep… that was important." Detained, injured, and deciding what comes next Days after the interception, dozens of activists remain in Crete as the organisation regroups and assesses next steps.
The roughly 30 ships remain anchored offshore near Ierapetra, and boats elsewhere are gearing up to sail. But those who went through the recent detainment are still processing what happened, and what to do next.
Despite a great sense of resilience, many also hold traumatic memories of their time on the Israeli prison boat, which appears to have been meticulously built to hold large groups of people long before the interception. "On top of the container, they circled us with guns," Elly remembered, counting almost 20 Israeli soldiers circling the barbed-wire-laced containers.
When the soldiers singled out Saif Abu Keshek, one of the GSF steering committee leaders, Elly said: "We heard him being beaten… we started chanting, 'free our comrades, free our comrades', and the soldiers were dancing to our chanting."
Many participants were subjected to violence by Israeli soldiers while being detained.
Mallorcan crewmember Àngel Benítez says his boat sent out mayday signals as the Israeli military approached, but "we did not receive any replies." Àngel is now recovering in Crete; his left arm hangs in a sling after Israeli soldiers singled him out. "They checked my whole body, abused me, took off my pants," says the 29-year-old secondmate.
"They hit me in my shoulders, and then they tied my hands behind my back… that's why my shoulder is dislocated," he explains. "I was very afraid to lose my life and not see my comrades again," he continued. "I was very happy, once they isolated me, to hear the protest of all the comrades who were protesting in the boat for our liberation." As well as Elly, Àngel was one of 34 people who required medical attention after being dropped ashore, but even on land their ordeal was far from over.
"The coast guards were lying to us all the time about where we were going," the Spanish activist continued, "how we were going to get there, if they would give us our passports or not, because that was our priority."
Patients were eventually seen at Sitia Hospital, and three were even taken for CT scans at a larger medical facility. Sitting in a well-lit room of the sprawling community-run building with foam mattresses spread across the floor, Àngel considers what to do next.
Everyone is worried for the two GSF members who remain detained by Israel: Brazilian organiser Thiago de Ávila and Spanish-Swedish national of Palestinian descent, Saif Abu Keshek. "I'm evaluating if I stay on land and help with the organisers and land mobilisations for the liberation of Saif and Tiago," Àngel adds. "Or continue with the mission and continue sailing with my companions." Testimony of abuse After speaking to The New Arab , Àngel is embraced by fellow activist Richard Walter in an emotional moment of solidarity.
Richard, a third-generation Holocaust survivor who identifies as an "anti-Zionist Jew", was also subjected to violence by Israeli soldiers, pulling up his trouser leg to reveal where he was wounded by what he believes was a rubber bullet. But for the Hungarian national, the psychological wounds may take longer to heal. "I was the first one they took into solitary confinement," he says. "While being kidnapped, I was beaten. While taken into solitary confinement, I was beaten… the whole journey I spent in solitary confinement."
Wearing just a t-shirt, he recalls they kept the air conditioning in the windowless cell at 16 degrees. The first time he was reunited with his comrades was when the captives were handed over to the Greek coast guard and taken ashore.
But the uncertainties appeared to continue on land. "Greece is not complicit, it's actively participating in this," Richard continued. "We got off the bus in the middle of the night. No one knew that we were arriving," he recalled about finally arriving in Heraklion.
"There was first a Ukrainian person from the consulate arriving, then there was the Italian, the Dutch delegation, step by step arriving," he said — though not all citizens were able to contact their representatives.
Like everyone here, he credits the local activist community for offering a lifeline at the time.
"I really want to highlight the amazing companionship of this safe house that is here in Heraklion," Richard added.
"They are helping us with everything." Bearing witness Many participants likely face a long journey ahead as they come to terms with what happened and decide what to do next.
Most are returning to the harbour, repairing damaged boats and hoping to press ahead with breaking the siege on Gaza .
Elly wants to see the boat she travelled on one last time before she returns to work in Belgium. Richard is planning to return to Hungary to resume his activism, while Angel grapples with where he can best help with the mission ahead.
The memories of the ordeal may also take time to process. "I still don't want to sleep alone," Richard admitted. "Whenever a door is opening, whenever a bang is happening… I still have major PTSD."
Yet amid such violence, the GSF participants haven't lost sight of a much bigger concern.
Everyone that The New Arab interviewed said their experience is nothing compared to the ongoing struggle faced by Palestinians every single day.
Palestinian people are subjected to daily brutality in both Gaza and the West Bank , with Israel recently passing a law enabling the death penalty for Palestinian prisoners convicted on "terrorism-related" offences.
At least 400 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel are currently children. "The psychological trauma that they are putting on all of us," Richard continued, "is incomparable to those more than 9,000 Palestinian hostages that they have in prison.
"We are also human, and we have to recognise our own traumas in these situations. The damage that these people were doing is just... They're not people." Tamara Davison is a British freelance journalist reporting across the Middle East on humanitarian issues, post-conflict resolution and migration. She is currently in Syros reporting on the flotilla mission Follow her on Instagram: @ tamaradavison_