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Australian activists held in Israel have described enduring what they call “demeaning and insulting conditions” after their arrest onboard a humanitarian convoy carrying aid to Gaza.

An activist, Surya McEwen, stated he was slapped and experienced a shoulder injury and had his head slammed into the ground.

Medical Concerns and Prison Environment

A second participant, Juliet Lamont, voiced serious concern about her health, saying she was at danger of stroke after her prescription drugs were seized by Israeli security forces.

She portrayed the detention facility as “dystopian” and added that her appeal for additional drugs had not been fulfilled.

The two activists are among a group of Aussies verified by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to have been detained in Israel.

Officials mentioned they are providing support to the individuals, including through in-person visits.

Claims of Poor Facilities

The activists are being detained in a high-security prison in the desert region and allege that they and fellow inmates were given water that was contaminated due to a foul odor.

He told Australian officials that he had been kept in a enclosure with 80 other people without sustenance, while being exposed to abuse from authorities.

Lamont stated that upon reaching the detention center, she was escorted to a room with female detainees and berated by guards, who labeled them “militants”.

Arrest and Handling Details

The care worker, in his forties, and Lamont, in her fifties, were arrested on last week when their Gaza-bound ships were intercepted by the naval forces.

They were part of the international aid mission comprising dozens of boats and hundreds of participants, including parliamentarians, legal experts, and activists.

Australian representatives met with the Aussie detainees on the following day.

Based on a report seen by media outlets, he described “degrading and humiliating treatment” after being transferred to the port of Ashdod.

He stated that his morale was low due to sleep deprivation techniques and threatening conduct from detention staff.

Relatives Concerns and Medical Problems

His mother, Jacinta McEwen, a former nurse, expressed she had been contacting Dfat for regular information and was worried about the “full-on” conditions her son was experiencing.

“I am concerned about his dislocated shoulder, head injury, and lack of medical attention,” she remarked.

McEwen thought her son’s deportation was being hindered because he declined to sign a document admitting he had entered Israel illegally.

The flotilla argues it was wrongfully stopped by the naval forces in international waters.

He also told representatives that authorities had destroyed pages of his travel document because it was electronically embedded.

Both individuals discarded their mobile devices into the sea before their arrest.

Differences in Arrest Experiences

While he stated his detainment on board the vessel was carried out with minimal force, Lamont – sailing on a different ship – recounted a “humiliating” experience.

She alleged her hands were zip-tied behind her back, she was sprayed with a water cannon, and was left to sit in an stifling space with her hands restrained and clothes soaked for seven hours.

During this time, she reported her head was forcibly pushed by Israeli forces.

Prison Environment and Health Effects

Both are being held in Ketziot prison, which is primarily used to detain Palestinian prisoners, many of whom authorities alleges of engaging in unlawful acts.

After Australian officials visited her, they observed she was “deeply upset”, weeping repeatedly during the visit.

The mother of two was described as feeling dehydrated, weak, lightheaded, and disoriented.

Lamont said a guard had warned her that tap water was unsafe to drink, and she feared her lack of fluids was worsening her high blood pressure.

On the day of her arrest, after her prescription was confiscated, she explained a physician – after checking her blood pressure – had provided her one dose of drugs.

But after Australian officials visited her, they reported she was feeling weak, disoriented, and tired, and concerned she was at danger of a health crisis.

Her request to consult a physician had received no response.

International and Family Responses

A spokesperson for the activist group expressed fear that her acquaintance was at danger of succumbing without access to medication.

Julie Webb-Pullman of another detained Australian, her daughter, said she had obtained a call from authorities giving a summary of their inspection to the facility.

She reported that her child had been subjected to mistreatment, degradation, threats, and was physically handled and pushed.

She was also placed in a courtyard in the heat for five hours with no shade, sustenance.

She further described a tap with contaminated water, meaning she had drunk no or little water in an extended period.

Official Responses

Australian authorities responded to questions with a message that said the authorities had “expressed to Israeli officials the need for detainees to be treated humanely according to global standards”.

“We repeat our call on Israel to enable the sustained, unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the announcement continued.

Sources reached out to Israel’s prison service, the military, the Israeli ministry for foreign affairs, and the Israeli embassy in Australia, but no one responded to a query.