UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has joined growing international criticism of Israel’s treatment of activists seized from a Gaza-bound flotilla.
Cooper said she was “truly appalled” by footage showing detainees bound and humiliated, adding that the treatment “violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity in the way people should be treated”.
She said she had “demanded an explanation from the Israeli authorities”.
Germany and Belgium also condemned Israel over the treatment of the activists after videos emerged showing them restrained and abused.
Germany’s ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, described the scenes as “wholly unacceptable” in a post on X.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot called the footage “deeply disturbing” and said Belgian nationals were among those detained, describing Israel’s actions as “unacceptable”.
