On May 18, 2026, Israeli authorities arrested Lautaro Rivara, an Argentine freelance investigative journalist and contributor to Diario Red and Canal Red, while aboard the Ramle, a vessel in the Global Sumud Flotilla, an aid convoy attempting to break the blockade on Gaza.
In an interview with Futurock FM following his release, Rivara alleged that flotilla participants were subjected to severe abuse while in Israeli custody. He said detainees were "victims of systematic and brutal violence" and described what he characterized as a pattern of physical and psychological mistreatment. Rivara alleged that participants were beaten, subjected to humiliation, and denied basic rights during their detention.
Rivara also accused Israeli authorities of committing what he described as serious human rights violations against flotilla participants. He alleged that detainees experienced torture, burns, sexual assaults, sleep deprivation, and other forms of abuse while imprisoned. Speaking after his return, Rivara said the treatment appeared intended to intimidate international activists attempting to challenge the blockade of Gaza.
He was among the flotilla participants deported to Istanbul, Turkey, on May 21, after three days and three nights in Israeli custody.
Adalah, a Palestinian-run legal rights group representing some of the detainees, told CPJ that all detainees had faced alleged abuses, including restricted access to lawyers, humiliation, and violence.
In a video published on X, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir can be heard yelling, “welcome to Israel, we are the landlords,” while waving a large Israeli flag over dozens of detainees kneeling side by side on the floor, their hands tied behind their backs and their heads lowered to the ground. Another video shows security forces violently throwing a handcuffed activist to the ground after the activist shouts “free Palestine” at Ben Gvir. The minister also said the detainees should be imprisoned for “a long, long time.”
In response to an email requesting comment, the Israel Defense Forces told CPJ it “rejects allegations of abuse by IDF soldiers during the operations,” adding that any “concrete complaints submitted to the IDF on the matter will be examined thoroughly.” CPJ’s email requesting comment from the office of Ben-Gvir did not receive a response.