Gaza flotilla activists deported from Israel as backlash over treatment grows

A video showing a far-right Israeli minister taunting activists who were kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs has been widely condemned. Gaza flotilla activists deported from Israel as backlash over treatment grows Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Ben Gvir posted a video of himself taunting the detained activists Itamar Ben Gvir standing holding an Israeli flag with several people standing around him in dark classes and masks Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists who were detained in Israel after their flotilla bringing symbolic aid to Gaza was intercepted have been deported, Israel has confirmed. It follows international backlash in response to a video posted by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir showing himself taunting activists kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs. On Thursday, the UK confirmed it had summoned Israel's top diplomat in Britain, charge d'affaires Daniela Grudsky Ekstein, over the incident. In a statement, the UK Foreign Office said the move reflected the UK's "strong condemnation of [Ben Gvir's] conduct in taunting those involved in the Global Sumud Flotilla". "We are also deeply concerned by the detention conditions depicted and have demanded an explanation from the Israeli authorities. We made clear their obligations to protect the rights of all those involved," the statement said. Similarly, Poland has also summoned Israel's Chargé d'Affaires in Warsaw. Writing on social media, Poland's Foreign Affairs Minister Radosław Sikorski said it wished to express "outrage" at the treatment of its citizens, and "demand an apology for the utterly inappropriate behavior of a member of the Israeli government". A foreign ministry spokesman later said two Polish citizens who were part of the flotilla would be returning, and that a request had been made to ban Ben Gvir from Poland. On Thursday, Italy's Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio Tajani said he had asked the EU to consider placing sanctions on Ben Gvir. He said this was for the "unacceptable acts" of "seizing the activists in international waters and subjecting them to harassment and humiliation, in violation of the most basic human rights". There has also been condemnation from the US, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Canada, and Ireland. There was also rare criticism for Ben Gvir's actions from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said they were "not in line with Israel's values". In a statement, the Israeli embassy in London stated that video had been condemned by other senior political figures, including President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Gideo Sa'ar, and does not represent the policy of the Israeli government. On Thursday, Italian politician Dario Carotenuto and journalist Alessandro Mantovani, who were part of the flotilla, were pictured arriving at Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, after first being flown to Athens. Speaking to reporters, Carotenuto said they had been beaten after arriving in Israel. Adalah, an Israel-based rights group representing the detainees, earlier said there had been "severe, widespread injuries", with at least three people taken to hospital for treatment. Dario Carotenuto said detainees had been beaten after arriving in Israel Italian lawmaker Dario Carotenuto is embraced by a relative Israeli authorities have not commented on the allegations. Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country was conducting special flights that would bring Turkish citizens as well as third country participants to Turkey. A total of 422 activists, including 85 Turkish nationals, were flown from southern Israel on three planes chartered by Turkish Airlines on Thursday. Turkey's Deputy Minister H. Ali Özel met the arrivals, who were wearing keffiyehs and welcomed by crowds, at Istanbul Airport. The group also included 37 French nationals, the French Foreign Ministry said. Spain's foreign minister said its diplomats in Israel had been informed that some 44 Spanish flotilla members would depart from Israel at 15:00 local time (12:00 BST). Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Helen McEntee, said 15 Irish citizens who had been detained were expected to be flown to Turkey. Among the Irish citizens deported was Dr Margaret Connolly, sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly. In a statement, a spokesman for Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: "All foreign activists from the PR flotilla have been deported from Israel. "Israel will not permit any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza." More than 50 boats taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) set sail from Turkey last Thursday carrying a token amount of aid. Four hundred and thirty people from more than 40 countries were on board. Israel dismissed the action as a "PR stunt at the service of Hamas". On Monday morning, armed Israeli naval commandos began intercepting the fleet in international waters west of Cyprus, about 250 nautical miles (460km) from the coast of Gaza, which is under an Israeli maritime blockade. Clare Azzougarh told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme her father Malcolm Ducker, who is in his early 70s, was one of the British citizens detained and she had no information on what was happening. "We know they've been taken to Ketziot prison but otherwise we're completely in the dark." Azzougarh added her father, who is a retired RAF pilot, was on a flotilla which was intercepted in October but this year's arrests were "indeed an escalation of extreme violence". Israeli National Security Minister gestures in front of an Israeli flag while touring a facility in the Israeli port of Ashdod where pro-Palestinian activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla are being detained (20 May 2026) Far-right Israeli minister condemned for taunting handcuffed Gaza flotilla activists France and Italy are among the countries that have criticised a video showing Itamar Ben-Gvir taunting dozens of activists detained at an Israeli port. BBC Verify has examined dozens of videos of fibre-optic drone attacks carried out by the Lebanese armed group. Twelve people were killed in a single strike on a house, including three children and three women, Lebanon's state-run news agency says. In a video on social media, Israel's national security minister is shown taunting detainees. The Global Sumud Flotilla says commandos have intercepted more than 50 boats trying to breach the Gaza maritime blockade since Monday. Dr Margaret Connolly is among 12 Irish citizens on board the aid flotilla which was boarded by Israeli forces. Friday's strike is the latest launched by Israel on Gaza despite a ceasefire with Hamas. Israel's prime minister says he has ordered legal action over an article which alleged Israeli security officials raped Palestinian detainees.