Two German activists involved in a Gaza aid flotilla have accused Israel of mistreatment and torture upon their return to Germany.
Supporters welcomed activists Nesrin Zeaiter and Uwe Sander at Hannover Airport, with chants of "free Palestine."
Zeaiter told reporters upon her arrival in Hannover that activists on the flotilla had been tortured.
"I was blindfolded from the very first second," she said, while adding that her hands were tied.
Sander described how his boat, carrying aid supplies for Gaza, was fired upon with rubber bullets by Israeli forces.
Four soldiers boarded the vessel and "kidnapped" both the ship and the seven passengers.
He, too, was subsequently kicked and beaten.
According to the organisation Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), the two were part of the aid flotilla that was intercepted and attacked by the Israeli navy in international waters earlier this week.
The organisation Global Sumud Germany reported that activists from the aid flotilla were subjected to abuse, assaults, and torture by Israeli security forces following their arrests.
Zeaiter is said to have been beaten, bitten by dogs, and stabbed with a knife.
The German Foreign Ministry also has confirmed on Friday that activists from Germany had been wounded.
Global Sumud Germany stated that some activists have already returned to Germany, and that others are expected to return in the coming days.
The organisation is calling for a full investigation into the events.
Germany on Friday demanded "clarification" from Israel on the mistreatment of German activists of the Gaza aid flotilla, calling "the accusations absolutely serious."
