First Australian Gemma O’Toole arrives home as family demands answers from Israel, meeting with prime minister
A Melbourne woman has landed in Australia and claims she and her fellow detainees were mistreated by Israeli authorities after their flotilla bound for Gaza was stopped.
Gemma O’Toole was the first of 11 Australians released by Israel to arrive home on Sunday night, where she was greeted by her parents and more than 100 supporters at Melbourne Airport.
Amid long embraces, tears and chants of support, O’Toole – flanked by his parents, Dr Patrick Keyzer and Dr Suzie O’Toole – personally thanked everyone who came to welcome him home, promising that this would not be the end of the matter.
O’Toole alleged that he and approximately 480 other activists were subjected to physical, mental and, in some cases, sexual abuse after they were stopped by the IDF on May 18 while en route to Gaza, where they intended to deliver aid with the Global Sumud Flotilla.
The treatment of detained activists came to international attention last Thursday when Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released a video mocking detainees who were zip-tied and forced to kneel on the ground.
The videos received widespread international condemnation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the actions were “not in line with Israeli values and norms” but that the flotilla’s mission amounted to unnecessary provocation.
On Sunday, O’Toole and his family requested a meeting with the prime minister and called for more action against Israel following their experiences while in Israeli custody.
“It was definitely the weirdest week of my life and definitely the worst week of my life,” O’Toole said.
“I haven’t seen a lot of media coverage because I haven’t had a phone for so long, but I see there’s a lot of interest in the Ben-Gvir video, which is crazy to me,” O’Toole said.
“What you saw in that video is actually a very small part of what we experienced.
“And then to think that this is what they do to predominantly white people when they are held relatively accountable.”
In a video published Free Gaza Australia’s Instagram O’Toole said she was strip-searched multiple times and repeatedly “pushed in the chest” by male guards.
“Personally, I was strip searched, a man grabbed my breasts and pushed into my chest repeatedly and asked me if I was a boy or a girl,” O’Toole said in the video.
He added that they could not sleep because the guards woke them up every 30 minutes, took them to their rooms and counted them.
Israeli ambassador to Australia Hillel Newman told the ABC: 7.30 No one was injured during the intervention of activists in last week’s program.
“No one was injured, the response went very smoothly,” Hillel Newman said. 7.30 program. He “completely denied” any allegations of sexual humiliation, said “allegations of violence are not true” and “many of the accusations made are untrue”.
But when asked about that comment, O’Toole said there were about 80 activists in the hospital in Türkiye and that he visited five of them, including people with broken spines, broken legs, broken sternums and collapsed lungs, before flying home.
“Everyone is experiencing such deep trauma,” O’Toole said.
Newman, three months into the job, appeared before the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Thursday afternoon at the behest of Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
The government intended to “intensify” Ben-Gvir’s displeasure with a video he posted.
“We condemn his actions and the degrading actions of Israeli authorities towards those detained,” Wong said in a statement on Thursday, calling the video “shocking and unacceptable.”
“Australia’s ambassador to Israel made representations to Israel and reiterated our call for the release of detained Australians and for Israel to not ill-treat detainees and to act in accordance with international obligations. I have also instructed DFAT to summon Israel’s ambassador to Australia to reinforce this message.”
Australian activists in the squadron included Juliet and Isla Lamont, Zack Schofield, Surya McEwen, Dr Bianca Webb-Pullman, Anny Mokotow, Neve Barwick O’Connor, Sam Woripa Watson, Violet Coco, Helen O’Sullivan and O’Toole.
O’Toole’s parents have called for the Australian government to take serious action against Israel and want a meeting with the prime minister to make their case.
“If this is what they are prepared to do to Australians on camera, imagine what they are doing to Palestinians who have been locked up for years,” Keyzer said.
“I’m really angry. We want to appear before the Prime Minister. This doesn’t end here.”
Suzie O’Toole said she was incredibly proud of her daughter and outraged at the treatment of activists.
“I am angry, exhausted but absolutely furious that my daughter and all the other brave activists were kidnapped, held hostage, beaten and deprived of sleep by Israel because they boarded boats to bring aid to starving people,” she said.
“They set out on these boats because governments around the world, including Australia, have not pushed back against Israel, which is brutally murdering and ethnically cleansing Palestinians.
“He’s clearly traumatised, we really need to get him home and start putting the pieces back together.”
With Bronte Gossling and Nick Newling
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Roy Ward is a sports writer, live blogger and breaking news journalist. He has been writing for The Age since 2010.Connect with: X or email.
