SAUDI ARABIA PERSPECTIVE

Riyad, May 22, 2026. The allegations of violence and sexual assault targeting activists detained after the interception of the humanitarian flotilla to Gaza have been reported in detail by Asharq Al-Awsat, a leading voice in the Arab world and a regional influencer. For Saudi Arabia, the case illustrates what it presents as an indignity of treatment of peaceful civilians seeking to deliver aid to a besieged population.

Israeli forces arrested 430 people on board 50 ships on Tuesday, in international waters, to stop the Global Sumud Flotilla. The organizers documented at least 15 cases of sexual abuse. Among them, at least 12 assaults would have taken place on a single Israeli ship converted into a floating prison, with barbed wire and shipping containers. The described acts include humiliating naked searches, touching, and several testimonies of rape, including forced penetration with a firearm according to the official statement of the organizers. Fractures of the ribs and arms, as well as eye and ear injuries caused by tasers, have also been reported.

The Israeli prison service denied all these accusations, stating in a statement that "the allegations raised are false and entirely without factual basis" and that all detainees are treated "in accordance with the law." Reuters was unable to verify the allegations independently.

Diplomatic pressure is mounting, however. Rome announced that its prosecutors are investigating potential crimes of kidnapping, torture, and sexual assault, and are preparing to take statements from the returned activists. Berlin confirmed that German nationals have injuries, describing some accusations as "serious," without further details. Italy also stated that EU members are discussing targeted sanctions against Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, filmed mocking activists in prison.

Asharq Al-Awsat relays these developments with a fact-based focus centered on the testimonies of the victims, including that of Ilaria Mancosu, an Italian activist describing two days spent on the prison ships without running water, without blankets, forced to kneel for hours upon arrival on dry land. This framing places the activists at the center of the narrative, relegating Israel's legal justifications to the background. The absence of an official reaction from Riyadh in the available articles contrasts with the importance given by the media to the testimonies of European victims.