A video posted on social media by Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has ignited a sweeping international diplomatic crisis, with dozens of countries summoning Israeli ambassadors after footage showed detained activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla kneeling on the ground with their hands zip-tied behind their backs. Ben-Gvir, who filmed himself at Ashdod port — a city on Israel's southern Mediterranean coast — can be seen waving an Israeli flag, shouting "The people of Israel live" into the face of a bound man, and taunting the detainees, who include citizens from more than 40 countries. He posted the video with the caption "Welcome to Israel."
The Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of around 50 vessels carrying food and humanitarian supplies, was intercepted in international waters near Cyprus on Monday and Tuesday and brought to Ashdod. More than 400 activists from 44 countries were detained. Legal rights group Adalah, which represents some of those held, reported systemic physical and psychological abuse, including the use of rubber bullets and tasers, forced stress positions, sexual harassment, and the ripping off of hijabs. Three activists required hospitalisation, and dozens reportedly suffered suspected broken ribs. Israel's military referred requests for comment to other authorities, who did not immediately respond.
The international condemnation was swift and broad. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the images "unacceptable" and demanded an apology and the immediate release of Italian nationals. Spain's foreign minister described the treatment as "monstrous, disgraceful and inhumane", and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his government would seek to extend a ban on Ben-Gvir's entry to all EU member states. The Netherlands, France, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal, Greece, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand all condemned the footage, with many summoning Israeli ambassadors. Britain's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the video "violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity." European Council president António Costa called for the activists' immediate release.
Within Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned his own minister, saying Ben-Gvir's conduct was "not in line with Israel's values and norms" and ordering the deportation of the detainees "as soon as possible." Foreign Minister Gideon Saar attacked Ben-Gvir directly: "You are not the face of Israel." Ben-Gvir appeared unmoved, replying that "Israel has stopped being a pushover." US Ambassador Mike Huckabee called Ben-Gvir's behaviour "despicable" and said he had "betrayed the dignity of his nation" — though his condemnation came just a day after the US Treasury sanctioned four organisers of the flotilla, describing it as a "pro-terror" effort. Analysts noted the contradiction, arguing the Trump administration was effectively validating Israel's position on the blockade while criticising only the manner of its enforcement.
Rights groups cautioned against treating Ben-Gvir's video as an isolated incident. Adalah noted it had "documented similar patterns of ill-treatment against activists in previous flotilla missions, for which Israel faced zero accountability." Sari Bashi of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel said the footage reflected a broader culture of impunity normalised under Ben-Gvir's leadership of the prison and security services. The episode comes against a backdrop of near-daily Israeli strikes in Gaza, widespread hunger, and the displacement of most of the territory's population into makeshift shelters — conditions that prompted the flotilla's organisers to attempt the voyage in the first place.