There has been international condemnation of Israel’s treatment of pro-Palestinian activists who were on board a Gaza-bound aid flotilla intercepted by Israeli naval forces.
The US, the UK, France, Italy and Canada were among the countries which expressed outrage after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video showing himself taunting activists kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs.
His actions also drew rare criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said they were “not in line with Israel’s values”.
A rights group representing the 430 people from more than 40 countries who took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla demanded their release.
More than 50 boats taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) set sail from Turkey last Thursday.
On Monday morning, armed Israeli naval commandos began intercepting the fleet in international waters west of Cyprus, about 250 nautical miles (460km) from the coast of Gaza, which is under an Israeli maritime blockade.
The GSF’s organisers said all the boats had been intercepted by Tuesday evening, with one managing to get within 80 nautical miles of the Palestinian territory.
They accused Israel of an “illegal, high-seas aggression” and said Israeli commandos had opened fire at six boats, used water cannon, and intentionally rammed one vessel.
The Israeli foreign ministry said no live ammunition was used and insisted it would “not permit any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza”.
The ministry also said that all the activists had been transferred to Israeli vessels and that they would be allowed to meet their consular representatives after arriving in Israel.
On Wednesday morning, Israeli rights group Adalah said the activists were being “taken into Israeli territory entirely against their will” and detained at Ashdod port.
“The legal team will challenge the legality of these detentions and demand the immediate release of all flotilla participants,” it added.
In the afternoon, Ben-Gvir – an ultra-nationalist who, as national security minister, oversees Israel’s police force – posted a video on social media, captioned “Welcome to Israel”. It showed him visiting a detention facility at the port of Ashdod where the activists are being held.
He is seen encouraging security personnel as they push down a female activist who shouts “Free, Free, Palestine” as he walks past her.
Ben-Gvir is then shown waving a large Israeli flag next to dozens of activists kneeling on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs. He tells them in Hebrew: “Welcome to Israel. We are the masters.”
Other activists are shown kneeling on the deck of a ship as the Israeli national anthem is played.
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called Ben-Gvir’s actions “despicable”.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the video showed “totally disgraceful scenes”, adding that she had sent a summons to the Israeli embassy to demand an “urgent explanation”.
She earlier said the government was “in touch with the families of a number of British nationals involved to provide them with consular support”.
Italy, France, Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain said Ben-Gvir’s actions were “unacceptable” and that they had summoned their respective Israeli ambassadors.
Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said the footage showed that “illegally detained participants”, including Irish citizens, were “not in any way being treated with appropriate dignity or respect”.
Adalah said the footage demonstrated that Israel was “employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists”.
Global Sumud Flotilla/Handout via ReutersIn an unusual step, Israel’s foreign minister joined the condemnation of his cabinet colleague.
Addressing him on X, Gideon Saar wrote: “You knowingly caused harm to our state in this disgraceful display – and not for the first time.”
Ben-Gvir hit back swiftly, saying: “The foreign minister is expected to understand that Israel has stopped being a pushover.”
Netanyahu then issued his own rebuke.
“Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza,” a statement said. “However, the way that Minister Ben-Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms.”
The prime minister added that he had instructed Israeli authorities to “deport the provocateurs as soon as possible”.
The GSF said the activists on board were carrying food, baby formula and medical aid for Palestinians in Gaza, where living conditions are dire and most of the 2.1 million population is displaced, despite the ceasefire agreed by Israel and Hamas last October.
The Israeli foreign ministry described Gaza as “flooded with aid”, saying more than 1.5 million tonnes of aid and thousands of tonnes of medical supplies had entered the territory over the past seven months.
The UN said last week that many displaced families in Gaza were still forced to shelter in overcrowded tents or severely damaged structures due to the absence of safer alternatives.
Access to basic services remained limited, it added, with inconsistent clean water supplies and impaired waste management systems that could not meaningfully address public health concerns. Pests and rodents are also an issue.
The UN said humanitarian operations continued to be undermined by restrictions on the import of critical spare parts, back-up generators and other equipment, as well as shortages of essential inputs, including fuel and engine oil.
It noted that only 86% of the humanitarian supplies initially approved by Israeli authorities for entry into Gaza in April were ultimately offloaded at border crossings. The remaining supplies were returned to their points of origin.
The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Israel responded by launching a military campaign in Gaza, during which more than 72,770 people have been killed, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
