Australian activists arrive home after being detained in Israel

Two Australian activists detained by Israel while trying to deliver aid to Gaza have arrived in Sydney after being deported.

Transcript

00:00Australians Robert Martin and Tan Safi have touched down in Sydney this morning

00:07and have described conditions they say they were subjected to by Israeli authorities

00:12after remaining in detention in the country for the last five days.

00:16Martin and Safi were part of a group of 21 activists on board the freedom flotilla vessel the Handala

00:22which was intercepted by Israeli authorities on Sunday while en route to Gaza.

00:27The crew say they were attempting to break what they've described as Israel's blockade of the territory.

00:33Martin and Safi were part of a group of a dozen other detainees that included two members of the European Parliament

00:39as well as journalists and other activists.

00:42On Monday an Israeli court extended the term of their detention until their deportation could be finalised.

00:49We understand Martin and Safi were taken from Israel to Amman in Jordan

00:54where they were put on a flight that arrived in Sydney earlier this morning

00:57where they were greeted by friends and other supporters.

01:00They gave a vivid description of what they say conditions in detention were like.

01:05We were in international waters at the time and we were taken completely against our will

01:11and just brutalised psychologically in every way.

01:15We were on a hunger and water strike but the only time they offered food was once

01:20and it was a tomato about this size.

01:23Israel says the Handala was legally intercepted however tracking data that's been obtained by the ABC

01:29shows the vessel was well outside of Israeli territorial waters.

01:34Now this isn't the first freedom flotilla vessel to be intercepted by Israeli authorities.

01:40Earlier in June we saw another vessel that on board included activist Greta Thunberg

01:46intercepted by Israeli authorities with those on board deported to their home countries.

01:52The organisers of Freedom Flotilla say this won't be the last attempt

01:57to break what they've described as Israel's blockade of Gaza.

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