“The images of Israeli Minister Ben Gvir are unacceptable. It is unacceptable that these demonstrators, including many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment that is harmful to the dignity of the person”. This was stated in a statement by the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani. “The Italian Government – they add – is immediately taking, at the highest institutional levels, all the necessary steps to obtain the immediate release of the Italian citizens involved. Italy also demands an apology for the treatment reserved for these demonstrators and for the total contempt shown towards the explicit requests of the Government Italian”https://gazzettadelsud.it/articoli/mondo/2026/05/20/meloni-e-tajani-inaccetabili-i-video-di-ben-gvir-il-ministro-israeliano-deride-i-fermati-bendati-e-legati-37e8cd09-ca07-4b60-ba3d-487be5886a54/.”For these reasons – Meloni and Tajani announce -, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation will immediately summon the Israeli ambassador to ask for formal clarifications on what happened”.
«We have obtained that tomorrow morning all Italians should leave from Ramon airport to be accompanied to Greece or Turkey. The negotiation is practically concluded, they are about to be accompanied to a center near the airport” Tajani told Cinque Minuti di Bruno Vespa. While a very harsh attack on Ben Gvir comes from Europe: «The treatment of the flotilla activists in the video shared by Minister Ben Gvir is completely unacceptable, as also indicated by his own government colleagues. While we oppose the flotillas due to the risks they pose, every person stopped must be treated with safety and dignity and in accordance with international law,” the spokesperson for the EU External Action Service, Anouar El Anouni, said on social media, calling “on the Israeli government to guarantee protection and dignified treatment for these activists, including several EU citizens, and the rapid release of all detainees.”
Netanyahu: “Israel has the right to stop Flotilla, but Ben Gvir was wrong”
«Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza. However, the way Minister Ben Gvir treated the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms. I have given instructions to the competent authorities to expel the provocateurs as soon as possible.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated this in a statement.
Ben-Gvir mocks activists: “Welcome to Israel, we are the hosts”
The Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the port of Ashdod, where the activists of the flotilla stopped by the Israeli navy are detained and, as spread on his social channels under the title ‘This is how we welcome supporters of terrorism’, mocks the activists as they walk among hundreds of detainees, handcuffed and blindfolded on their knees and exults: ”Welcome to Israel, we are the hosts” and ”The people of Israel lives”. In another clip, an activist is seen shouting ‘Free Palestine’ as he is tackled to the ground by an officer.
The Flotilla activists, as Haaretz writes, are tied up and dragged to the Israeli port of Ashdod and in the video, while ‘Hatikva’, the Israeli anthem, is broadcast over the loudspeakers, masked police officers are seen pushing the activists to the ground, forcing them to get on all fours and dragging them on the floor. The activists are lined up inside a warehouse, forced to kneel with their faces on the ground and their hands tied behind their backs with cable ties.
Foreign Minister Sàar attacks his colleague Ben Gvir: “You are not the face of Israel”
“You are not the face of Israel.” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sàar wrote this in a post on «With this shameful performance, you have knowingly caused damage to the country, and it is not the first time. You have undermined the enormous, professional and successful efforts made by many people, from IDF soldiers to Foreign Ministry employees and many others”, added Sàar.
Ben Gvir’s rejoinder: “We don’t turn the other cheek”
«There are still people in the government who have not understood how to deal with supporters of terrorism. The Israeli Foreign Minister is expected to understand that Israel has stopped being a child that gets slapped. Anyone who comes to our territory to support terrorism and identify with Hamas will get a slap and we will not turn the other cheek.” This is how the ultra-right hawk minister Ben Gvir responds on X to Israeli Foreign Minister Sàar who disavowed his video claiming that it is not “the face of Israel”.
Adalah’s complaint
”Adalah’s legal team will challenge the legality of these detentions and call for the immediate release of all flotilla participants,” Adalah said in a statement. Last night Israel claimed to have intercepted all the boats, stopping 430 activists.
Eighty-seven activists on board the Global Sumud Flotilla, stopped by the IDF and headed to Israel, began a hunger strike. In a post published on The flotilla called for the release of all activists “into the hands of the Israeli authorities” and urged governments to condemn the “act of piracy.”
The legal team of the NGO Adalah which provided assistance to the members of the Flotilla in the port of Ashdod reports having collected from detainees “complaints relating to extreme violence, sexual humiliation and serious injuries by the Israeli forces”, including “at least three cases of people admitted to hospital and subsequently discharged”, “dozens of participants with suspected rib fractures and resulting breathing difficulties”. The testimonies report “the frequent use of tasers” and injuries “from rubber bullets during interception” at sea. In addition to physical abuse, participants were subjected to severe degradation, sexual harassment and humiliation. Several female participants had their hijabs torn off by the Israeli authorities.”