Gaza aid convoy activist injured in leg, refuses treatment in Israeli hospitals

Majid Baghchivan, an activist detained aboard the Gaza-bound aid mission Global Sumud Flotilla, was injured in the leg by rubber bullets fired by Israeli soldiers, organizers said Wednesday.

The mission said that although Baghchivan was taken to a treatment center in Ashdod in southern Israel, he refused treatment in Israeli hospitals.

A video shared by Israeli coalition partner and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir early Wednesday showed the activists being humiliated after their arrival at the port.

Israel’s Transportation Minister Miri Regev uploaded another video in which she described the activists as “terror supporters” and “drugged with alcohol.”

According to the organizers, Israeli forces attacked a total of 50 vessels carrying 428 people from 44 countries, including 78 Turkish citizens, in international waters on Monday.

The flotilla departed on Thursday from the Turkish district of Marmaris in a new attempt to break the illegal Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007.

This was not the first such incident involving the flotilla.

In late April, the Israeli army attacked flotilla boats in international waters off the Greek island of Crete. The convoy at the time included 345 participants from 39 countries, including Turkish citizens.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving the territory’s 2.4 million people on the verge of starvation.