'We Were Treated Like Animals': Australian Police Probe Claims Of Israeli Sexual Assault On Gaza Flotilla Survivors

Last Updated:June 18, 2026, 22:29 IST

Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, publicly criticised the AFP's decision, calling the probe a 'mistake' and a waste of time on a 'futile incident'

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) have launched a formal investigation into harrowing allegations of sexual assault, torture, and abduction made by Australian humanitarian activists against Israeli forces. The independent probe follows a high-profile meeting in Canberra between Foreign Minister Penny Wong, senior law enforcement officials, and four survivors of the Global Sumud Flotilla. The AFP confirmed they will adopt a “victim-centric, trauma-informed approach" as investigators look into the severe abuse allegedly perpetrated in international waters and inside Israeli detention facilities.

The allegations stem from an operation in May 2026, when the Israeli navy intercepted an aid-carrying convoy bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip. Out of nearly 400 multinational volunteers intercepted and subsequently deported, 11 were Australian citizens. Upon their release, several female activists came forward with graphic testimonies of severe physical violence and targeted sexual degradation.

Survivors Detail Systemic Abuse

Prominent Australian activists, including filmmaker Juliet Lamont, Violet Coco, and Neve O’Connor, documented accounts of brutal treatment by their captors. In testimonies presented before the Australian Parliament and submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC), Lamont alleged she was bound with cable ties, subjected to waterboarding techniques, and raped by an Israeli soldier. Other participants described being stripped of their clothing, held at gunpoint in shipping containers, and subjected to severe beatings that left dozens of international volunteers with broken bones.

The public outcry intensified after Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, published a video online taunting the zip-tied and kneeling detainees. Senator Mehreen Faruqi presented the details to a Senate estimates committee, pushing the government for a formal response. Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated on the record that she found the accounts “horrific and unacceptable," reinforcing a principled stance to believe the survivors and confirming that diplomatic protests had been lodged over Israel’s initial refusal to grant Australian officials consular access to the detainees.

Diplomatic Friction Escalates

The independent police investigation has sparked sharp diplomatic friction between Canberra and Jerusalem. Israel’s ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, publicly criticised the AFP’s decision, calling the probe a “mistake" and a waste of time on a “futile incident". Newman categorically denied the claims, stating that the military handled the situation with sensitivity and maintained that Israel had “nothing to hide," though he dismissed the allegations as a coordinated smear campaign.

Legal representatives for the victims have already escalated the findings internationally, submitting comprehensive dossiers of the alleged torture and sexual violence to the ICC, where senior Israeli leaders are already facing intense legal scrutiny over the broader conflict.

About the Author

Pathikrit Sen Gupta

Pathikrit Sen Gupta is a Senior Associate Editor with News18.com and likes to cut a long story short. He writes sporadically on Politics, Sports, Global Affairs, Space, Entertainment, And Food. He tra...Read More

News world 'We Were Treated Like Animals': Australian Police Probe Claims Of Israeli Sexual Assault On Gaza Flotilla Survivors

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