A German journalist and Global Sumud Flotilla activist has accused female Israeli prison guards of raping her during a forced strip-search at Givon Prison last October, allegations that the Israel Prison Service has categorically denied.
Anna Liedtke, 25, detailed the alleged assault in an interview published by The Guardian on Wednesday, after Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel filed a complaint on her behalf demanding a criminal investigation.
The allegations have not been independently verified by The Jerusalem Post. The IPS told The Guardian that allegations are “categorically denied and entirely unsubstantiated,” and that it “rejects any allegation of rape, sexual assault or systematic abuse by its personnel”. Queried separately by the Post on the nature and status of the investigation, the IPS said it had nothing to add beyond the response already given.
The complaint was submitted on June 1 to the Attorney-General’s Office, the IPS’s legal adviser, the National Unit for Investigating Prison Staff, a sub-unit of Lahav 433's Serious and International Crime Unit, and the commander of Givon Prison.
“We have confirmation from the Prison Service that a file has been opened, but nothing substantive yet,” Adalah told the Post.
Adalah did not provide further information regarding the nature of the file or whether a formal criminal investigation had been opened.
Liedtke claims assault occured in October 2025
According to the complaint and Liedtke’s account to The Guardian, the alleged assault occurred on October 10, 2025, after she was transferred from Ketziot Prison to Givon Prison following the interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla two days earlier.
Liedtke was among approximately 145 participants in vessels affiliated with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and the Thousand Madleens initiative. The Israeli Navy intercepted the flotilla early on October 8 and diverted the vessels to Ashdod Port, after which most of those detained were taken to Ketziot Prison in the Negev.
The flotilla groups described the voyage as an attempt to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. Israel has maintained that the blockade is a necessary security measure intended to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas and has accused flotilla organizers of staging provocations rather than genuine aid missions.
Liedtke alleged that she was subjected to physical and verbal violence during her detention and was strip-searched three times without her consent.
She claimed that the first search took place at Ashdod Port in an area that was only partly concealed, leaving her visible to male personnel passing nearby. She alleged that she was again required to strip after being taken to Ketziot Prison.
Following her transfer to Givon two days later, Liedtke told The Guardian she refused an order to undergo a third strip-search. She alleged that two, and later three, female guards forcibly removed her clothes, restrained her hands, forced her to her knees and covered her mouth as she screamed.
One of the guards then allegedly penetrated her vaginally and anally with her fingers, according to the account. Liedtke further alleged that male guards could see into the partially screened area and laughed during the incident.
The allegations are based on Liedtke’s testimony and the complaint filed on her behalf. No findings have been issued regarding the events she described.
Liedtke said she informed friends and medical professionals shortly after leaving Israeli custody and first spoke publicly about the alleged rape at a conference in December.
“There is no reason for me to be ashamed,” she told The Guardian. “Whenever we are silent, they will do it to another person.”
Her attorney, Adalah lawyer Muna Haddad, said the complaint was intended to pursue accountability and examine how Israeli law-enforcement authorities would respond to a demand that the allegations be investigated.
IDF, Prison Service reject allegations of abuse
The Prison Service rejected Liedtke’s account in its response to The Guardian, describing the allegations as entirely unsubstantiated and denying that its personnel had committed rape, sexual assault or systematic abuse.
The IDF also rejected allegations of abuse by the forces involved in intercepting the flotilla and referred questions concerning Liedtke’s detention to the Prison Service.
The claims come amid a wider series of allegations made by participants in Gaza-bound flotillas intercepted by Israel.
In May, organizers of a separate flotilla said that at least 15 participants had reported sexual assault, including rape, after being detained by Israeli authorities. The Prison Service denied those allegations and said all detainees had been held lawfully, with their basic rights protected. Reuters said it was unable to independently verify the accusations.
French prosecutors have also opened a preliminary investigation into allegations of torture, sexual violence and other mistreatment made by French citizens who participated in the May flotilla. The inquiry concerns those separate allegations and is not an investigation into Liedtke’s complaint.
Participants in the October flotilla had also alleged physical abuse, humiliation and degrading treatment immediately following their detention. Those claims were reported by Adalah at the time, before Liedtke publicly disclosed the rape allegation.
The Prison Service has continued to deny allegations of rape, sexual assault or systematic abuse by its personnel.