German Journalist Says She Was Raped by Israeli Forces After Abducting Her From Gaza-Bound Aid Ship
Berlin (QNN)- A German journalist abducted aboard the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla vessel Conscience said Israeli forces raped her while in detention, confirming the assault took place during a strip search amid prison transfers.
Speaking publicly for the first time, 25-year-old Anna Liedtke said she was held for five days after Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound humanitarian ship in fall 2025, roughly 100 nautical miles from Gaza's coast, and abducted activists on board.
"We were transferred from one prison to another, and during the strip searches I was raped," Liedtke said.
She described the assault as part of broader, systemic abuse rather than an isolated case.
She said she chose to speak out on behalf of other “women who have experienced sexual violence and sexual torture in the prisons”, including those still imprisoned.
She added the “Zionist states, its prisons, and his guards should feel ashamed.”
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Liedtke noted accounts from Palestinian detainees of sexual assault by Israeli forces in Israeli prisons. “A couple of times we heard from Palestinian prisoners, especially female prisoners, about the situation in the Zionist prison.”
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Over 90 Palestinian detainees have been killed while in Israeli prisons since the start of the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023. According to prisoner advocacy groups, the true number is likely far higher and all of those killed died from either torture, assault, wilful medical neglect or malnutrition. The groups, based on testimonies, official records, and evidence, indicate that there has been an unparalleled campaign of assault against detained Palestinians.
In August 2024, B’Tselem issued its report on the Israeli prison system titled “Welcome to Hell”, detailing the physical, psychological and sexual abuse meted out to Palestinians taken into Israeli custody.
B’Tselem has described the Israeli prison system as a "network of torture camps" within which prisoners were subjected to "repeated use of sexual violence" including "gang sexual violence and assault committed by a group of prison guards or soldiers".
Last year, Israel's Channel 12 published a leaked video which appeared to show Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee.
Earlier this year, a United Nations inquiry accused Israel of using sexualised torture and rape as "a method of war... to destabilize, dominate, oppress and destroy the Palestinian people".
