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Original article: Llegan a Santiago integrantes chilenos de la misión humanitaria Global Sumud: denuncian torturas tras ser secuestrados por fuerzas israelíes

Chilean Members of Global Sumud Humanitarian Mission Return

This Saturday morning, three members of the Chilean delegation of the Global Sumud humanitarian mission arrived at Santiago’s International Airport after being seized in international waters by Israeli forces while en route to Gaza with humanitarian aid.

The activists Víctor Chanfreau, Claudio Caiozzi, and Carolina Eltit were met around 9:00 a.m. by dozens of family members, friends, and supporters of the Palestinian cause who gathered at the airport holding banners and displaying an eight-meter Palestinian flag. Their return was marked by applause, cheers, and chants of “Free Palestine.”

Meanwhile, Ignacio Ladrón de Guevara, another participant in the mission, resides in Spain and landed in Madrid.

After reuniting with loved ones, the activists held a press conference where they reported being subjected to physical and psychological torture, mistreatment, and humiliation by Israeli forces.

“The way we were treated was precisely because they want to end these humanitarian missions and aid efforts. Instead, they gave us more strength to continue. It’s also important to remember that the torture we experienced is nothing compared to what more than 9,000 Palestinian political prisoners endure daily,” stated Víctor Chanfreau.

Carolina Eltit recounted that the experience was “torturous. They took some individuals and returned them broken, fractured, and bleeding. Then, they left us in the sun for three to four hours tied up with our heads down, playing the Israeli anthem over and over.”

“I had the unfortunate experience of encountering Ben Gvir (Israeli security minister), who stared at me crazily and said that Israel belongs to them, that no one is going to change that, and that we were a disgrace,” shared artist Claudio Caiozzi, referencing a video posted by the minister that triggered a diplomatic crisis in Israel.

During their statements, the mission members also criticized the Chilean government’s response, which had remained silent during their abduction. Following the release of images depicting degrading treatment of civilians by Ben Gvir, the government eventually issued a public statement through the Foreign Ministry expressing “disturbance” over the situation.

Present to support the Chilean delegation were representatives from the Palestine Information Center (CIP), the Palestinian Community of Chile, and Senators Sergio Gahona and Diego Ibáñez, president and vice president respectively of the Chilean-Palestinian Interparliamentary Group in the Senate. Also in attendance was Nelson Hadad, a member of Lawyers for Palestine and legal advisor to the Chilean delegation of the mission.

The Global Sumud mission represents an international, peaceful, and humanitarian civil mobilization that unites hundreds of activists from different countries to demand an end to the Israeli blockade on Gaza and to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population. The boats were unarmed and carried essential supplies when intercepted in international waters by Israeli forces.

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