For hours, families of activists on the Gaza Sumud flotilla had no idea where their loved ones were. Phones went dead on April 30. Messages stopped. People simply vanished from contact at sea.

That alone should concern us. But it also shows how control is exercised — not just through force, but by cutting communication and creating uncertainty.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) intercepted a civilian flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. The boats were surrounded. Communications were cut. Armed personnel boarded. On board were doctors, artists, aid workers and activists, including Australians.

Some activists have now been released in Crete. But what happened during the IDF’s interception and detention cannot be brushed off, or treated as a minor incident.

There are reports that the IDF used rubber bullets at point blank range. Others were kicked in the testicles, punched in the ribs and around the face. Some activists required medical care after their release. Thiago Ávila from Brazil and Saif Abu Keshek from Spain, have been taken........

© Green Left Weekly