Italian journalist reports beatings by Israeli forces after Gaza aid flotilla interception

Italian journalist Alessandro Mantovani on Thursday said he was beaten and handcuffed by Israeli forces following the interception of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla.

Fatto Quotidiano journalist Mantovani and M5S lawmaker Dario Carotenuto, who were aboard the flotilla, returned to Rome airport on a commercial flight from Athens, according to ANSA news agency.

"I was beaten, Dario Carotenuto was beaten, and others were beaten more severely than we were. I saw people with suspected fractures to their arms and ribs," Mantovani told Fatto Quotidiano.

He said the boarding operations were far more violent than in the past and added that both he and Carotenuto were handcuffed and shackled at the ankles after being held in a cell and before being transferred to Ben Gurion Airport.

"They took away my trousers, which contained my wallet, and never returned them. Then we were beaten; I also saw women being struck. This happens because Israel is protected by the governments of half of Europe, including our own," Mantovani added.

He further said Israeli forces fired twice during the boarding "with some kind of bullets."

The Global Sumud humanitarian aid flotilla said Tuesday that all 50 vessels in its convoy had been seized by Israel.

The flotilla, carrying 428 people from 44 countries, departed Thursday from the Turkish district of Marmaris in a new attempt to break the illegal Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007.