“There were at least 35 of them on the boat at any given time, telling us what to do, where to sit. They wouldn’t let some of us lie down as night went on,” Safi said.

Two Australians on board the boat said the Israeli officers pinned down activists and strip-searched them when the ship arrived in Israel. Source: SBS News / Phoebe Deas

The group collectively decided to go on a water and hunger strike, leaving them “confused, dehydrated and exhausted” as they arrived at the Israeli port of Ashdod.

SBS News has contacted the Israeli embassy in Canberra for comment.

The vessel called Handala departed from Italy one week ago, aiming to reach Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and break the Israeli blockade. Source: Getty / Anadolu

Inside the prison, Safi alleged they were screamed at in Hebrew and randomly handcuffed, only for the officers to “grab the handcuffs and throw me against the wall”.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade then confirmed that officials were liaising with authorities in Tel Aviv and “stand ready to offer assistance to affected Australians”.