Ben-Gvir video mocking detained flotilla activists triggers international outrage

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has triggered a diplomatic crisis spanning multiple continents after posting a video on Wednesday, 21 May 2026, mocking detained activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that Israeli forces intercepted and seized in the Mediterranean Sea.

The video, published on X, shows Ben-Gvir walking among dozens of activists kneeling on the ground with their hands bound behind their backs at what appears to be a makeshift detention area at the port of Ashdod.

Ben-Gvir is seen waving a large Israeli flag and shouting, "Welcome to Israel, we are the landlords."

In footage that drew immediate condemnation, an activist shouts "Free Palestine" as Ben-Gvir passes. The activist is immediately pushed to the ground by masked security personnel.

In a second video, Ben-Gvir taunts the detainees, saying they "came here all full of pride like big heroes," before appealing directly to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to grant him authority to imprison them.

"I say to Prime Minister Netanyahu, give them to me for a long, long time, give them to us for the terrorist prisons," Ben-Gvir said.

Netanyahu rebukes Ben-Gvir, orders deportation

Netanyahu publicly distanced himself from Ben-Gvir, stating that while Israel has every right to prevent what he described as "provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters" from reaching Gaza, Ben-Gvir's conduct "is not in line with Israel's values and norms."

Netanyahu said he had instructed the relevant authorities to deport the detained activists "as soon as possible."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar went further, publicly rebuking Ben-Gvir on X. "You knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display — and not for the first time," Saar wrote. "No, you are not the face of Israel."

Israel's Foreign Ministry subsequently posted images captioned "These are our values," showing Israeli police officers offering water to detained activists.

Ben-Gvir responded to Saar's rebuke in the Israeli parliament, accusing Saar of "bowing to the terrorists" and asserting that any apology to the activists would signal "weakness," "submission," and "surrender."

European governments summon Israeli ambassadors

The video prompted swift diplomatic responses across Europe. Italy and France summoned their respective Israeli ambassadors. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said it was "inadmissible" that protesters, including Italian citizens, were "subjected to this treatment that violates human dignity," and demanded a formal apology and clarifications.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani described what appeared in the video as "absolutely unacceptable and contrary to every basic safeguard of human dignity."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the Israeli ambassador had been summoned to convey France's outrage and demanded that French participants in the flotilla "be treated with respect and released as quickly as possible."

Spain summoned the Israeli charge d'affaires in Madrid and demanded the activists' immediate release and a public apology. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares described the video as "monstrous" and "inhumane."

The Netherlands, Canada, and Portugal also summoned Israeli representatives.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described the treatment of civilians aboard the flotilla as "abominable" and confirmed that Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs had directed officials to summon the Israeli ambassador to demand assurances regarding the safety and security of Canadian nationals involved. Carney noted that Canada had already imposed sanctions against Ben-Gvir prior to the incident, including asset freezes and a travel ban, citing his repeated incitement of violence.

At the direction of Prime Minister Mark Carney, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand summoned the Israeli ambassador to Ottawa, with Carney citing pre-existing Canadian sanctions against Ben-Gvir — including asset freezes and a travel ban imposed in response to what Canada described as his repeated incitement of violence.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called Ben-Gvir's behaviour "completely unacceptable," stating it contradicted the values Germany and Israel sought to uphold together. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot described the footage as deeply disturbing.

Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Helen McEntee, issued a formal statement on 20 May 2026 describing herself as "appalled and shocked" by Ben-Gvir's video, in which she said participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla, including Irish citizens, were not being treated with appropriate dignity or respect.

McEntee confirmed that at her instruction, Ireland's Ambassador to Israel had demanded immediate assurances that the welfare and wellbeing of all Irish citizens was safeguarded and that they were afforded all protections to which they were entitled under international law. She also demanded their immediate release.

McEntee assured the families of detained Irish nationals that consular assistance and support would be provided as soon as access to the detainees was secured.

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that what appeared in the video "violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity" and demanded an explanation from Israeli authorities.

The European Union also condemned the treatment. European Union spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said on X that the treatment of activists shown in Ben-Gvir's video was "completely unacceptable," adding that "every detained person must be treated with safety, dignity and according to international law." The EU urged the Israeli government to ensure the immediate release of all detainees.

Both Turkey and Greece lodged formal condemnations. The Turkish Foreign Ministry described the behaviour as openly demonstrating what it called the "violent and barbaric mindset" of Israel's government. Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis lodged a formal protest and demanded the swift release of Greek nationals, calling Ben-Gvir's actions "unacceptable and entirely condemnable."

US response draws criticism

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee became the first Trump administration official to criticise Ben-Gvir, writing on X that the flotilla was a "stupid stunt" but that Ben-Gvir had "betrayed dignity of his nation." Huckabee pointed to what he characterised as "universal outrage from every high-ranking Israeli official."

However, analysts noted the criticism rang hollow. Huckabee's comments came a day after the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on four flotilla organisers, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent labelling them "pro-terror." Flotilla organisers warned the sanctions could legitimise greater Israeli violence against detained activists.

Michael Omer-Man, the Israel-Palestine director at the DAWN advocacy group, said the episode illustrated a widening gulf between the United States and other Western governments.

"We see a big difference between the US and other Western countries, who see things like freedom of navigation in international waters as a fundamental concept of international law that should be respected, not to mention the mistreatment of civilians," Omer-Man told Al Jazeera.

Omer-Man also questioned the sincerity of condemnations from Netanyahu's government, suggesting they were driven more by concerns over public relations and Israel's approaching election season than by the abuses themselves.

Israel's 'These are our values' post meets public scepticism

The Israeli Foreign Ministry's attempt at rebuttal drew immediate scepticism online. The post attracted hundreds of critical replies, with users rejecting the ministry's framing as an exercise in damage control.

"Your tweet is an attempt at damage control trying to rewrite the actual truth, we see you," wrote one commenter. Another responded simply, "These people are kidnapped, what are you talking about." A third wrote, "Nobody believes you. We see the horrors you commit on a daily basis."

The broader tenor of the replies reflected the depth of the credibility gap facing Israeli authorities on social media, with many users drawing direct contrasts between the ministry's characterisation and the footage posted by Ben-Gvir himself only hours earlier.

Legal group cites pattern of abuse

Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, accused Israeli authorities of "employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists," stating this followed documented patterns of ill-treatment from previous flotilla missions "for which Israel faced zero accountability."

Adalah lawyer Suhad Bishara told the Associated Press that a group of eleven lawyers who visited the detainees were aware of at least two activists who had been hospitalised after being shot with rubber bullets "for no reason, without any justification." Bishara said a judge would determine the timeline for deportation proceedings.

The Global Sumud Flotilla announced on Tuesday evening that at least 87 participants had committed to a hunger strike "in protest of their illegal abduction and in solidarity with the over 9,500 Palestinian hostages held in Israeli dungeons." At least two activists were reported hospitalised.

What the flotilla set out to do

The Global Sumud Flotilla departed Turkey on Thursday, 15 May 2026, carrying activists from at least 46 countries in a renewed effort to reach Gaza. Flotilla organisers stated their aim was to "establish a humanitarian corridor and break Israel's illegal siege of Gaza." Israel characterised the mission as "a PR stunt at the service of Hamas" carrying only a symbolic quantity of aid.

Among those aboard were more than a dozen Irish nationals, including the sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin described Israel's interception in international waters as "absolutely unacceptable."

Flotilla spokesperson Rania Batrice urged governments to move beyond symbolic gestures. "Strongly worded letters are not what we need right now. We need more action," Batrice told the Associated Press.

Israeli forces began intercepting the approximately 50-vessel flotilla around 268 kilometres off the Gaza coastline, initially stopping 41 boats in international waters near Cyprus on Monday before boarding the last remaining vessels on Tuesday.

All approximately 430 activists were transported to Ashdod port.

Israel's blockade and the situation in Gaza

Israel has maintained a sea blockade of Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007. Israeli authorities intensified the blockade following the Hamas-led militant attacks on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in more than 250 being taken hostage.

Critics of the blockade describe it as collective punishment of Gaza's civilian population of nearly two million people. Israeli authorities maintain the blockade is necessary to prevent Hamas from acquiring weapons. Egypt, which controls the only border crossing into Gaza not under Israeli authority, has also significantly restricted movement in and out of the territory.

According to Gaza's Health Ministry, more than 72,700 people have been killed since the start of Israel's military campaign following the October 2023 attacks.

The ministry, which operates under Gaza's Hamas-run government, does not disaggregate figures between civilians and combatants. It is staffed by medical professionals whose records are broadly regarded as reliable by the international community.

The flotilla organisers noted that 881 people had been killed in Gaza since a ceasefire nominally came into effect in October 2025.

Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, separately condemned Ben-Gvir, describing the scenes of detained activists as evidence of what it called Israel's "moral decadence and sadism."

Flotilla spokesperson Batrice also drew a broader comparison. "If they're doing that to Europeans and Americans and people from South Africa and all over the world, imagine what they're doing to the Palestinian people," she told the Associated Press.

The Palestinian Authority's permanent mission to the United Nations offered a broader indictment of Israeli conduct in a post on X, framing the flotilla incident as one element of a wider pattern of Israeli policy.

Citing actions taken in recent days alone, the mission noted that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had announced on live television the ordering of forced displacement of the Palestinian community in Khan Al-Ahmar, that the Israeli Knesset had passed legislation which the mission described as entrenching the unlawful annexation of Palestinian land, and that a discriminatory death penalty had been legislated for Palestinian prisoners.

The mission also cited Israeli Heritage Minister Yoav Katz's decision to transfer the UNRWA compound in Jerusalem to his own ministry's facilities. Taken together, the Palestinian Authority's mission said, Israel was "attacking Palestinian life; it is attacking those who are trying to save it and preserve it; those trying to sustain it; those trying to protect it; those trying to record it."