(MENAFN) The United Nations human rights office expressed alarm on Monday over reports concerning the treatment of individuals detained by Israeli authorities after participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla.

“We have received worrying information of ill-treatment and violations of due process rights of the flotilla participants,” stated spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan, according to reports. He also pointed out that the office “has long raised the alarm regarding the intentionally degrading conditions” within Israeli detention facilities and prisons.

The flotilla, composed of vessels carrying humanitarian aid bound for Gaza, was intercepted by Israeli naval forces starting Wednesday. Over 470 activists representing more than 50 different countries were taken into custody during the operation.

Organizers of the flotilla had intended to both deliver aid and protest against the blockade imposed on Gaza. Israel has enforced this blockade for nearly 18 years, affecting nearly 2.4 million people living in the territory.

Since October 2023, Gaza has endured extensive Israeli airstrikes, which have claimed the lives of over 67,000 Palestinians, the majority being women and children. The ongoing conflict has left much of the enclave devastated and unfit for habitation.

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