'We Were Like Animals': Gaza Flotilla Activists Detail Arrest by Israel

Speaking to Haaretz, activists who were detained by Israeli forces recall violence and harsh conditions 'I raised my hand because I couldn't walk... then a police officer reached in from the front to choke me,' recalled one

Activists who took part in the flotilla to Gaza told Haaretz on Thursday they were beaten and held in harsh conditions after Israeli forces took control of the vessels.

"[It was] very, very violent since the beginning," said one activist who took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which attempted to breach Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, about his detention by Israeli forces. Most of the detainees were released on Thursday and deported to Turkey after they had been held in Israel since Tuesday.