Israeli security minister sparks outcry after posting video taunting detained flotilla activists
At least 430 activists were detained and 87 began a hunger strike after Israel intercepted the aid flotilla, officials and rights groups said.
- On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rebuked National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for his treatment of 430 detained Global Sumud Flotilla activists, ordering their deportation "as soon as possible."
- Israeli naval forces intercepted the flotilla in international waters on Monday, detaining approximately 430 activists; Ben-Gvir subsequently published videos on Tuesday showing himself taunting the detainees at Ashdod port, sparking immediate controversy.
- The footage shows Ben-Gvir waving an Israeli flag among handcuffed activists forced to kneel, telling them "Welcome to Israel, we are the landlords," while one activist was pushed to the ground after chanting "Free, free Palestine."
- Foreign governments including Italy, France, and Australia summoned Israeli diplomats, while Foreign Minister Gideon Saar publicly accused Ben-Gvir of "knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display."
- The incident highlights tensions over Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza, where nearly 2 million people face humanitarian shortages; legal group Adalah noted this follows a pattern of ill-treatment against activists for which Israel faces "zero accountability.
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312 Articles
The images showing the extreme right-wing Israeli minister humiliating European flotilla activists for Gaza, who have aroused an international outcry, did not reveal anything new about the prisons of the Hebrew state, but they shed some light on the hierarchy of bodies.
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
Israeli security minister who taunted flotilla activists has a record of extreme actions
Israel's far-right national security minister has sparked global outrage after promoting a video of himself taunting activists from a flotilla to Gaza who were detained by his police force. Itamar Ben-Gvir has a long history as a provocateur. Denied entry…
Israel announced on Thursday 21 May 2026 that it had expelled all foreign militants from the "flotilla for Gaza" captured at sea, following the international outcry caused by a video showing them being humiliated in detention.
A video of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, waving an Israeli flag and shouting while Israeli uniformed men assault foreign activists who were trying to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, has caused a huge diplomatic outcry. The far-right Ben-Gvir posted the video himself on Wednesday with the caption "Welcome to Israel." The video shows dozens of men and women kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs. The minister mocks …
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