The Australian Federal Police has confirmed it has begun inquiries into allegations that Israeli defence personnel sexually assaulted a group of Australian activists while they were in custody. The activists were detained last month after trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. The confirmation came overnight, marking the point at which the activists' public accounts moved towards a formal investigation.
The women at the centre of the allegations met in Canberra with Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the Minister for International Development Anne Aly, AFP officers and officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs. The meeting took place the previous night. The group presented a dossier setting out their claims of mistreatment while they were held by the Israeli military.
The activists were detained last month after being aboard the Global Sumud flotilla, which was attempting to carry humanitarian aid to Gaza. They were taken into custody following the interception at sea. Their accounts of what happened while they were held have continued to draw attention since they returned home to Australia.
According to the women, their mistreatment extended to rape, kidnapping and torture. Those claims are more serious than the initial accounts of physical abuse that were described when the activists first arrived back in the country. The dossier handed to the ministers and to the police now forms the basis of the allegations being examined.
The treatment of the group was first brought to international attention after Israel's Minister for National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, posted a video of himself taunting the detained activists. Ben-Gvir is sanctioned by the Australian federal government. The video drew broad international condemnation at the time, including in Australia.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said that she believes the women and that she has raised their allegations multiple times with her Israeli counterparts. She has stated that Australia expects a full, transparent and independent inquiry to take place now. Her comments came as the federal police confirmed it had opened its own inquiries into the matter.
A spokesperson from the Israeli embassy labelled the group of activists professional provocateurs and categorically rejected the allegations. The spokesperson said Israel would deal with any claims of wrongdoing through appropriate legal processes rather than through trial by media. Any AFP investigation would hinge on cooperation, leaving the eventual path of the inquiry uncertain.