Activists detained when their flotilla attempted to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza say they have been mistreated at the hands of Israeli soldiers, describing beatings, Tasers and attack dogs.Video above: Flotilla activists describe beatings and mistreatment by Israeli forcesThe Global Sumud Flotilla of 50 boats was intercepted in international waters some 250 miles (400 kilometers) off the coast of Israel, and activists, along with journalists and at least one lawmaker from Italy, were transferred onto military boats and brought to a larger military vessel at the Ashdod port in southern Israel, where they were held in containers, according to their accounts. They told The Associated Press they were punched and kicked, as well as dragged and pulled by their hair.Other accounts have included accusations of sexual violence and activists enduring suspected broken bones, according to CNN.Israel's far-right security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has called for deporting political opponents and was barred from mandatory military service for his extreme views, sparked global outrage after promoting a video of himself taunting activists from a flotilla to Gaza who were detained by his police force. Foreign leaders have condemned his on-camera treatment of the detainees, and several countries summoned Israeli envoys to air their concerns.Israel denies mistreatment. The allegations were “false and entirely without factual basis,” said Zivan Freidin, a spokesperson for the Israeli Prison Service.Some 420 activists departed for Turkey on Thursday after they were deported from Israel, many wearing gray sweatsuits and Arab keffiyehs.The AP spoke to some Thursday and Friday as they reached Istanbul, Athens and other European cities:Here are their accounts:Zeynel Abidin Ozkan, Turkish flotilla board memberZeynel Abidin Ozkan detailed being held in a container alongside other detainees shortly after the flotilla raid, and he said some people were taken outside the containers, where he heard them being physically assaulted.“We faced periods where we couldn’t stand, our heads were bowed to the ground, we were dragged and pulled by our hair. The handcuffs left serious marks on us.”After arriving at Ashdod port, Ozkan says he was denied the right to contact his lawyer, embassy officials or relatives back home. He describes being told to sign papers under duress, which he refused.“When we refused to sign, they treated us like prisoners, creating a file, taking photos, forcibly handcuffing our hands and feet with iron shackles. And then, with the soldiers, dragged us along the ground, surrounded by dogs, releasing the dogs on us, before loading us into prison trucks.”Christopher Boren, activist from Hawaii“When we got to Ashdod port, I was immediately grabbed by five IDF (soldiers) or police officers. They put my head down and started beating me. One of them had gloves on with hardened plastic, and he started punching my face, and it swelled shut,” Christopher Boren said, showing his black eye.Alessandro Mantovani, Italian journalist for the daily Il Fatto Quotidiano“During the crossing, we were put on our knees, blindfolded, and told to make sure the blindfold didn’t move. They repositioned mine 30 times because I kept trying to look around. And there’s absolutely no possibility in this situation to say, ‘I’m a member of parliament’ or ‘I’m a journalist’ — you’re dealing with machines that scream and accompany their screaming with physical gestures. They put you flat on the ground, then on your knees, with zip ties on your wrists. The blindfold, plus an additional zip tie securing your wrists down to a metal structure, just a few inches from the deck. So you’re forced to travel in an extremely uncomfortable position on rough concrete. And I had cramps in my legs the whole time, obviously.”After they were transferred to a ship that was used for detention, “the treatment became immediately more violent. We entered through this small hatch and were shoved and dragged by force with our arms twisted behind our backs, forced to kneel in front of a wall with our heads down.”At one point, he was thrown down “flat on my stomach, hands behind my back, face pressed, head pressed against the soaking wet and dirty floor of this ship — pressed down with their feet — and then they pressed my hands behind my back.”Once inside the container, “I was kicked in the shin. Honestly, I don’t expect it. And they say, ‘Welcome to Israel.’ Then a punch to the face, one from this side, one from that side. A closed-fist punch. I moved to get up, and I got kicked in the leg. A little jolt from a Taser to the ribs. And then I make it out the other side of this container and reach the deck.”Alessandro Mantovani said he was also strip-searched, and his eyeglasses and wallet were discarded. He and the activists on his ship threw their cellphones into the sea when the Israeli boats approached, and he did not wear a watch on this mission after his was nearly confiscated on a previous flotilla.Yiannis Atmatzidis, Greek activist“I was struck with a Taser, beaten with punches and kicks, insulted, and humiliated. On the prison ship, there was a container that everyone had to pass through. You entered through one door, and a group of six or seven people would beat you mercilessly until you emerged from the other side. Every single one of us went through that.”Yiannis Atmatzidis said he was being processed for identification when Ben-Gvir was touring the prison ship.“The minister entered the room and asked me where I was from. I replied, ‘From Greece.’ He then asked why I was there, and I told him that I had come to deliver humanitarian aid to people who needed it. He responded, ‘Are you a friend of Hamas?’ I explained that our mission had no political agenda and was purely humanitarian. He was surrounded by four armed guards who aimed their weapons and laser sights at me while I sat there handcuffed behind my back.”He added, "Whenever we told them that circulation was being cut off and our hands were going numb, they showed absolutely no mercy. I do not have the words to describe the brutality and cruelty of these people. It is something I will never forget.”France bans Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after 'unspeakable' flotilla detainee tauntsFrance on Saturday banned Ben-Gvir, citing his "unspeakable" behavior targeting the activists from the flotilla to Gaza who were detained by his police force.“As of today, Itamar Ben-Gvir is banned from entering French territory. This decision follows his unspeakable actions toward French and European citizens who were passengers on the Global Sumud Flotilla," the French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, announced in a post on X.“We cannot tolerate that French nationals can be threatened, intimidated or brutalized in this way — all the more so by a public official,” Barrot posted, calling on the European Union to also sanction Ben-Gvir.The Associated Press has sought comment from Ben-Gvir's spokesperson and the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.This week, Ben-Gvir sparked global outrage after promoting a video of himself taunting detained flotilla activists.In one clip, Ben-Gvir is seen waving a large Israeli flag over hunched-over detainees whose hands appear to be bound. In another, he taunts a kneeling detainee whose wrists are zip-tied, yelling “Am Yisrael Chai” at him — Hebrew for “The nation of Israel lives.” In a third, detainees can be seen — foreheads to the floor of an outdoor pen — as the Israeli national anthem plays and armed guards encircle them.Foreign leaders — and even coalition partner Netanyahu — condemned Ben-Gvir's on-camera treatment of the flotilla detainees.In his post, the French minister was also critical of flotilla activists, who were attempting to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.“We disapprove of this flotilla’s approach, which produces no useful effect and places an additional burden on diplomatic and consular services," Barrot wrote. Poland has also barred Ben-Gvir, announcing a five-year ban Thursday.“In the democratic world we do not abuse and gloat over people in custody," Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski posted.——AP journalists Emrah Gurel in Istanbul, Andrea Rosa in Rome and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed to this report.