Ashdod, Israel - Labor and human rights activist Chris Smalls, who was on board the latest Gaza Freedom Flotilla boat, was reportedly assaulted in Israeli custody.

"When he reached the Israeli prison, U.S. human rights defender Chris Smalls was physically assaulted by seven uniformed individuals. They choked him and kicked him in the legs, leaving visible signs of violence on his neck and back," the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said in a statement on Instagram.

"When his lawyer met with him, Chris was surrounded by six members of Israel’s special police unit. This level of force was not used against other abducted activists," the statement continued.

"We condemn this violence against Chris and demand accountability for the assault and discriminatory treatment he faced."

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Smalls had joined the latest Freedom Flotilla boat bound for Gaza aiming to break Israel's brutal blockade of the Palestinian territory.

Israel intercepted the Handala in international waters on July 26 and arrested all 21 people on board, who were attempting to deliver food, medicine, and toys to the starving children of Gaza.

The Israeli military had previously seized the Madleen, another Freedom Flotilla aid vessel that embarked for Gaza in June. The crew members – including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg – were forcibly taken to Israel and then deported.

Smalls decided to sail to Gaza as Israel faces growing accusations of genocide and forced starvation of the Palestinian people.

The 37-year-old labor organizer helped win Amazon's first US union at the JFK 8 warehouse on Staten Island. He previously served as president of the Amazon Labor Union and was named one of Time's 100 most influential people of the year in 2022.

"I'm just happy to be once again the labor leader who's trying to connect the dots," Smalls said in a livestream from the Handala boat last week with Representative Rashida Tlaib.

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"Amazon is the Iron Dome," he explained. "AWS – the web services – is the intelligence that the Israeli military used to target and kill these innocent civilians, mostly women and children. And that's the sense that I'm taking as a labor leader coming from America, coming from New York."

In a press conference before the Handala departed Italy, Smalls said the crew aimed to "feed people hope and make sure that we continue to hold Israel accountable for the illegal siege on Gaza."

"We will not give up. We will not give in. We will continue to send boat after boat, ship after ship, until one day, the people of Gaza are finally free – from the river to the sea!"

Israel's abduction of the Freedom Flotilla activists and disparate treatment of Smalls, who is Black, have sparked widespread outrage.

"Black Lives Matter Grassroots vehemently condemns Israel's kidnapping of Chris Smalls and 20 other Freedom Flotilla humanitarians attempting to deliver food aid to Gaza and calls for their immediate release," the organization said in a statement.

"Chris Smalls is our brother in the Black freedom struggle. He has courageously faced seemingly insurmountable enemies, defeating Jeff Bezos – the richest man in the world in 2020, when, as a warehouse worker during the global health pandemic, he formed the Amazon Labor Union."

"He has become one of the most courageous voices in the struggle."

BLM Grassroots called on supporters to contact the State Department and members of Congress to demand the release of Smalls and all other activists still in Israeli custody.

Jewish-American actor and activist Jacob Berger shared on Instagram that he is "home" and "safe" after his arrest. In total, there were seven US citizens aboard the Handala.