Outrage grows after Israeli minister mocks Gaza flotilla activists
International Response and Allegations of Abuse
By Rami Ayyub
JERUSALEM, May 21 (Reuters) - Western governments voiced outrage on Thursday after Israel’s far-right security minister posted a video of himself taunting Gaza-bound flotilla activists being pinned to the ground, with two later alleging they were physically assaulted in detention.
The activists' treatment by police officers under the direction of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also drew a rebuke from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and from the United States, Israel's staunchest ally.
The activists, whose vessel was intercepted on Wednesday in international waters by Israeli naval forces as they were trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, were all deported from Israel on Thursday, the Israeli foreign ministry said.
Across Europe, governments summoned Israeli ambassadors to condemn the video. Italy demanded an apology, Spain said it would not tolerate maltreatment of its citizens, and France demanded the release of all the detainees.
International Condemnation
Criticism from U.S. Ambassador
CRITICISM FROM U.S. AMBASSADOR
Britain's foreign ministry said the video "violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity for people", while Poland's foreign minister called for Ben-Gvir to be banned from entering the country.
The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said Ben-Gvir had "betrayed (the) dignity of his nation".
The outpouring of anger follows the posting of campaign-style videos by Ben-Gvir and at least one other minister in Netanyahu's government, transport chief Miri Regev, showing them visiting the port and lambasting the protesters, attention-grabbing antics ahead of a potential early election in Israel.
Response from Rights Groups
Israeli rights group Adalah said the estimated 430 activists had been released from prison in southern Israel.
Miriam Azem, Adalah's communications director, said the group's lawyers had documented repeated use of tasers, suspected broken ribs, as well as beatings, the use of prolonged stress positions, and sexual harassment and abuse.
"One of the activists was forced to strip naked and run while guards were laughing," she said, adding Israeli authorities fired rubber bullets that hurt some activists as they intercepted the flotilla.
The foreign ministry has said non-lethal means were used towards the flotilla vessels as a warning, and no protesters were injured.
The Israel Prisons Service dismissed Adalah's allegations as false, entirely without a factual basis and designed to portray systematic unlawful conduct.
"All prisoners and detainees are held in accordance with the law, with full regard for their basic rights and under the supervision of professional and trained prison staff," it said, with medical care provided under health ministry guidelines.
Allegations of Physical Assault
Testimonies from Italian Activists
TWO ITALIAN ACTIVISTS ALLEGE PHYSICAL ASSAULT
Italian journalist Alessandro Mantovani, one of the activists flown home earlier, said he had been beaten up on arrival in Israeli detention in what he described as a container, calling it a "place of terror".
"'Beat you up' means they kicked me in the legs and punched me in the face. These are people who know what they are doing, so I don't have any major visible marks ... They would beat you up and would tell you 'Welcome to Israel'," he told reporters on arrival at Rome's Fiumicino airport.
Another Italian activist, Dario Carotenuto, a lawmaker from the 5-Star Movement, said he had been punched in the eye and kicked while detained.
Israel's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the activists' allegations. Activists who were part of previous flotillas intercepted by Israel also said they faced abuse by Israeli forces, something Israel rejected.
UN and Humanitarian Perspectives
Thameen al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said anyone found to have abused the activists should be held to account.
"It is not a crime to show solidarity and bring humanitarian assistance to the people who are in dire need of it in Gaza," he told Reuters.
Flotilla organisers say they aimed to break Israel's blockade of Gaza by delivering humanitarian aid, which charities say is still in short supply despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in place since October 2025 that includes guarantees of increased assistance.
The flotilla departed from southern Turkey this week before being intercepted on Wednesday. Past flotillas - including one carrying Swedish activist Greta Thunberg - were also intercepted by Israel, with participants later deported.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country was conducting special flights to bring Turkish citizens as well as third country participants to Turkey. Those on board the flotilla included citizens of Spain, South Korea and Ireland.
Political Context and Election Implications
Taunting of Activists and Political Reactions
TAUNTING OF ACTIVISTS COMES AHEAD OF ISRAELI ELECTION
Ben-Gvir's video shows officers forcing an activist to the ground after she chants "Free, free Palestine".
The video also shows dozens of detained activists kneeling in rows with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, in what appears to be an outdoor Israeli port facility. In the background, soldiers armed with long guns can be seen patrolling the area from aboard a military vessel.
During Israel's military assault in Gaza, launched after the October 2023 Hamas attacks, Israeli troops frequently lined up detained Palestinians on the ground, with their hands bound.
"Look at them now. See how they look now, not heroes and not anything," Ben-Gvir says in the video as he walks by the activists while carrying a large Israeli flag.
Netanyahu said Ben-Gvir's conduct was "not in line with Israel's values and norms".
Impact on Israeli Politics
Ben-Gvir's political base includes some of Israel's most nationalist voters, a bloc that Netanyahu's Likud party has in the past tried to woo ah
