A Scottish activist who was detained by Israeli forces has said he and his fellow prisoners “were beaten”.
Sid Khan spent five weeks in a flotilla attempting to deliver aid to Gaza and was one of four Scots held on October 1 after Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet of 42 boats seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade.
Those detained between Wednesday, October 1 and Friday, October 3 were brought to Israel and put in prison.
The 48-year-old landed back in Scotland on October 8 with fellow activist Jim Hickey, and was reunited with his wife Isma Tahir Khan.
‘It was necessary’
Sid told STV News that the action was”necessary” as all governments have “failed”.
STV News“I’m grateful to be involved in the facilitation of aid in a non-violent way to support proactively with the Global Sumud Flotilla,” he said.
“It was necessary because the government have failed, all governments have failed.”
The 42 boats were stopped on their way to Gaza beach and they were taken to the port of Ashdod and handed over to Israeli police.
This was expected, Sid said, but what wasn’t expected was the alleged mistreatment at the hands of Israeli guards, which Israel denies.
STV NewsWhen they were transferred to a prison, Sid claims they were “denied access” to water, medication and lawyers.
He also claims that some of the prisoners “were beaten” and weren’t “allowed to look up”.
“We were intercepted by Israeli commandos and our boats were forcibly boarded at gunpoint,” he said.
“But we’d been practicing this, we knew it was expected or we were expecting it so we had gone through multiple processes and we [had] protocols and practiced to see what happens in this situation.
“Some of us were beaten, and you weren’t allowed to look up. If you looked, then you got told to sit on your knees in a high-stress position. We were ziptied, and yeah, it was quite an ordeal.”
Israel has rejected allegations that activists were mistreated and denied basic rights.
STV News‘Disgusted by government response’
Sid has also accused the UK Government of failing to support the imprisoned activists, revealing that a representative only came to visit him on day five of his six-day stint.
“The foreign office, to be honest, I’m actually disgusted at the response they gave. Of the six days of detention, somebody came to see me on day five.
“By that point, the Greeks, the Spaniards, the Italians, and the Turks had repatriated all, if not most of the citizens.”
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office told STV News that they had been supporting a number of British nationals who have been detained in Israel and said they are in touch with the local authorities.
Despite his ordeal, Sid says he would “do it all again”.
His return to his family comes as Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of a peace plan for Gaza, paving the way for a pause in the fighting and the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. The militants killed some 1,200 people that day, while 251 others were abducted. Forty-eight hostages are still held in Gaza – around 20 are believed to be alive.
Israel’s ensuing campaign has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its toll.
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