German activist Anna Liedtke: I was raped by the IDF

Anna Liedtke, 25, a German journalist, has given her first interview about the criminal complaint she filed in Israel, that was published by 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻, after she went public last December. The Global Sumud Flotilla spoke about her rape in Israeli detention. Liedtke was one of the activists aboard a humanitarian flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on 8 October, has filed a criminal complaint with Israeli authorities stating she was raped while in captivity.

Liedtke said there is no reason for me to be ashamed. Adding, whenever we are silent, they will do it to another person. She knows other activists were raped but were afraid or embarrassed to talk about it. But that was what exactly happened to her, according to her interviews and the complaint

* 'Liedtke stated that "They stripped off my clothes and placed me in a spot shielded from view only by a partially drawn curtain; my naked body was actually visible to Israeli soldiers passing by." She added, "During the third strip search, the female guards forcibly removed my clothes, groped my body, and forced me to kneel. One guard then inserted her fingers into my vagina and anus; when I tried to scream, they covered my mouth with their hands."

* Liedtke remembers how the male Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) as she describing them were laughing, and "I am certain they could see everything—and perhaps even filmed it—because the curtain was not fully closed."

* She believes the assault was intended to break her will and make the experience so traumatic that others would never speak about Palestine again; instead, however, she became the first activist from the Steadfastness Flotilla to speak publicly about having been raped in Israel.

Palestinian writer Tara Al-Alami explains the 10 pages report how sexual violence perpetrated by various Israeli agencies against Palestinian hostages and international peace activists.

https://x.com/SDGMasterglass/status/2077688509511438663?s=20

Last October, Australian documentary filmmaker Juliet Lamont has made disturbing allegations of sexual assault and abuse following the interception of the Global Sumud aid flotilla by Israeli forces in international waters. Speaking after her release, Lamont said she was handcuffed, shackled, beaten, and sexually assaulted while being held aboard what she described as a “prison boat.” In one of the most harrowing parts of her testimony, she stated: “They wrenched my trousers and underwear down and it felt like I was inserted with a hand… it wasn't a gun… other people had guns inserted inside them.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx4wsR4NS5g 

Today, the Jerusalem Post reported the story of an Israeli a man who was indicted for raping a woman 3 days ago, after posing as a Noval Festival survivor. The rapist according to police used his victim phone to call his phone. Would MSM cover this story like it did with Oct. 7 hoax rape? I am not holding my breath!

Dut to the fact the state of Israel condones and entourage rape by the IDF soldiers. So when undisciplined soldiers could not find a prey, they target other female and male soldiers. Case in point. Mia Schem, who is a French Israeli national freed from Hamas captivity in November 2023. She filed a rape complaint against Tel Aviv fitness trainer Nati Avidan 3 days before her wedding. He fiancé broke up with her after that. Isn't ironic that Mia Schem was safe during her captivity in Gaza, but she was raped in Israel following her release?

The former Israeli captive has admitted that she felt safer and more protected in Gaza than in Israel, according to the Hebrew Maariv newspaper report on March 5, 2025. That comes as a sharp contrast and contradicts the Israeli claim of gang rape, mutilation, and beheading of 40 babies on October 7, 2023.

https://freepress.org/article/ex-hostage-felt-safer-hamas-captivity-israel

As long as the IOF uses sexual violence and rape against Palestinians and peace activists alike, women like Ana Liedtke and Juliet Lamont are more determined to speak out about the suffering the IOF inflicts on the people of Palestine and their supporters.

Caption for bottom photo:  Anna Liedtke said there is no reason for me to be ashamed. Adding, whenever we are silent, they will do it to another person. She knows other activists were raped but were afraid or embarrassed to talk about it. Via Social media. Photo was taken by Judit Jockel for the Guardian.  

Mahmoud El-Yousseph is a Palestinian freelance writer and a retired U.S. Air Force veteran. He writes about U.S. foreign policy, Middle Eastern affairs, and justice