German journalist alleges rape while in Israeli custody after Gaza flotilla interception

A 25-year-old German journalist and activist with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has alleged that she was raped while in Israeli custody following the interception of a Gaza-bound humanitarian vessel.

Anna Liedtke said the alleged assault occurred during a prison transfer after she had been detained for five days.

Speaking publicly for the first time, she said she decided to come forward to draw attention to what she described as systemic abuse faced by Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.

Liedtke was among activists aboard the vessel Conscience, which was attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza when it was intercepted by Israeli forces in the fall of 2025, around 100 nautical miles off Gaza’s coast. Those onboard were subsequently detained.

According to Liedtke, the alleged rape took place during strip searches while detainees were being transferred between detention facilities.

“We were transferred from one prison to another, and during the strip searches I was raped,” she said.

She stressed that she did not view the incident as an isolated case, but as part of a broader pattern of abuse within the detention system.

“I’m sharing it for all the women who experience sexual violence and sexual torture in the prisons, for all the women who have experienced similar horrible things in the prison, and probably are experiencing them right now as we’re speaking at this conference,” she said.

“I’m speaking on behalf of those who did not survive those attacks, those who cannot speak about it because they are still in prison.”

Liedtke added that responsibility and shame should lie with perpetrators of such acts, rather than with victims.

She also cited testimonies from Palestinian detainees, including female prisoners, who have reported alleged sexual abuse by Israeli forces while in detention.

“A couple of times we heard from Palestinian prisoners, especially from female prisoners, about the situation in the Zionist prison,” she said.

“So what else should we expect from Zionist prisons, from the Zionist fascist state?”

Despite the alleged assault, Liedtke said the experience had not broken her resolve.

“One thing is very important. It did not break my will."

“I will not stop fighting for justice and the end of violence until every woman is free and has received justice. I will not stop fighting until patriarchy does not exist anymore,” she added.

Previous cases

In August last year, a leaked surveillance video showing Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention camp surfaced online, drawing widespread condemnation.

The footage, first broadcast by Israel’s Channel 12, showed reservist soldiers removing a detainee from a group of blindfolded prisoners and taking him to a secluded area.

According to reports, the soldiers appeared aware of the presence of surveillance cameras and attempted to obscure their actions.

The detainee was later found bleeding and was hospitalised several hours later. Medical reports cited injuries consistent with the insertion of an object, and his condition was described as complex.

A doctor who treated the detainee later told Haaretz that the severity of the injuries compelled him to speak out, saying he initially struggled to believe such acts could have been committed by Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli military has said it operates in accordance with the rule of law and that any specific allegations of abuse are investigated.

Human rights reports cite deaths in custody

At least 94 Palestinian prisoners and detainees have died in Israeli custody in less than two years, according to a report by Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), covering the period between 7 October 2023 and 31 August 2025.

The report alleges a practice of “systematic killings and cover-ups”.

PHRI said it had exposed a deeply concerning pattern of systematic human rights violations committed against Palestinians detained by Israel and classified as “security prisoners”.

The organisation said the alleged violations were carried out as part of an official policy implemented by Israeli authorities since the war began.

PHRI said its findings were based on official records and data cross-referenced with forensic reports, information from other human rights groups, and efforts to locate specific individuals, as well as testimony from detainees, their families and lawyers.

PHRI said the reported deaths were caused by physical violence, medical neglect, or both.