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Türkiye led a sweeping international condemnation Wednesday after Israel's far-right national security minister posted a video showing detained Gaza-bound flotilla activists kneeling on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs, prompting multiple European governments to summon Israeli ambassadors and drawing a rare rebuke from within the Israeli cabinet itself.
Ankara's foreign ministry said Minister Itamar Ben Gvir had "once again openly demonstrated to the world the violent and barbaric mentality of the Netanyahu government," as a wave of diplomatic protests swept across Europe and beyond. Greece similarly condemned Ben Gvir's conduct as "unacceptable and entirely condemnable."
The footage, posted Wednesday on Ben Gvir's X account and captioned "Welcome to Israel," showed dozens of activists on the deck of a military boat at Ashdod port with the Israeli national anthem blaring over a loudspeaker.
Ben Gvir is seen waving a large Israeli flag and shouting "We are in charge here!" at the kneeling detainees, and is later heard urging guards not to be "bothered by their screams" as a woman cries out in the background. In a separate clip, a handcuffed activist who shouted "Free Palestine" as Ben Gvir walked past was immediately pushed to the ground by security personnel.
The approximately 430 activists aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail from Marmaris, Türkiye, on May 14, were intercepted by Israeli military Monday and Tuesday in the latest effort to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza.
Israeli authorities said the activists were en route to Ashdod, where the Adalah rights group said some had already arrived and were being held. At least 87 detainees subsequently announced a hunger strike in protest of what organizers called their "illegal abduction."
The diplomatic fallout was swift and broad. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the treatment of the activists "intolerable" and "a violation of human dignity," demanded the immediate release of detained Italian citizens, and said Rome was seeking a formal apology from Israel for what she described as "total disregard" shown toward explicit requests by the Italian government. Italy's foreign ministry summoned the Israeli ambassador for clarification.
France also summoned the Israeli ambassador. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X that he had requested the summons to "express our indignation and obtain an explanation," adding that Ben Gvir's actions, "denounced by his own colleagues in the Israeli government, are unacceptable."
Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, speaking in Berlin, called the treatment "monstrous, disgraceful and inhumane," and confirmed that Israel's charge d'affaires in Madrid had been called in for a formal protest.
The Netherlands likewise said it would summon Israel's ambassador, with Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen describing the images as "shocking and unacceptable."
Ireland's Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said she was "appalled and shocked" by the footage, which showed Irish citizens among the detainees, and demanded their "immediate release." Among those detained is the sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly.
Canada's foreign minister also condemned the treatment as "absolutely unacceptable," while Germany's ambassador to Israel, Steffen Seibert, called it "wholly unacceptable and incompatible with the basic values of our countries." Portugal issued a formal protest through Israel's charge d'affaires in Lisbon, calling Ben Gvir's behavior "intolerable" and a "humiliating violation of human dignity."
The video drew unusual criticism from within the Israeli government itself. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar publicly dressed down Ben Gvir in a post on X, telling him he had "knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display, and not for the first time," and that he had "undone tremendous, professional and successful efforts made by so many people, from IDF soldiers to Foreign Ministry staff and many others." Saar declared flatly that Ben Gvir was "not the face of Israel."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu went further, issuing a rare personal rebuke of his own cabinet minister. While insisting Israel had "every right" to stop what he called "provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters," Netanyahu said Ben Gvir's conduct was "not in line with Israel's values and norms" and announced he had instructed the relevant authorities to deport the activists as quickly as possible.
Ben Gvir hit back at Saar, accusing the foreign minister of "submitting to supporters of terrorism" and arguing that "Israel has stopped being a punching bag."
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Hamas described the footage as evidence of the "moral depravity and sadism" governing Israel's leadership, calling the scenes of activists bound and forced to kneel an orchestrated act by what it termed "the criminal, fascist Zionist minister."
The Israeli legal advocacy group Adalah accused Israeli authorities of "employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists," and noted the pattern followed similar ill-treatment in previous flotilla interceptions for which it said Israel had faced no accountability.
The Global Sumud Flotilla's latest mission was the second major attempt this spring to challenge Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, after a previous convoy was intercepted in late April. Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza since 2007, tightened significantly since the Hamas attacks of October 2023 that triggered the current war.
The territory of nearly two million Palestinians has endured severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies throughout the conflict, with Israel at times halting aid deliveries entirely.
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