Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has drawn global condemnation after posting a video showing the abuse of foreign activists detained while attempting to sail aid to Gaza. The footage, captioned “Welcome to Israel”, depicts security forces forcing detainees to kneel with their hands bound, as Ben-Gvir waves an Israeli flag. The incident has sparked outrage from world leaders, including the prime ministers of Italy and Canada, European foreign ministers, and the US ambassador to Israel.
Critics argue that Ben-Gvir’s treatment of the flotilla activists is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of abuse against Palestinian detainees. Rights groups describe Israeli detention centres as “torture camps”, with documented cases of rape, extreme hunger, and humiliation. Israeli data shows at least 98 Palestinians have died in custody since October 2023, including a 17-year-old believed to have been starved. Israel’s supreme court has repeatedly ordered an end to food deprivation.
Ben-Gvir has boasted of overseeing a “prison revolution”, telling lawmakers in 2024: “I am proud that we have changed all of the conditions.” His public displays of cruelty have been largely ignored internationally until now. Tal Steiner of the human rights group HaMoked said the “harrowing and unjustifiable” abuse captured in the video—such as stress positions and derogatory filming—is routinely used against Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a rare rebuke, calling Ben-Gvir’s behaviour “not in line with Israel’s values and norms”. However, critics note that Netanyahu has never condemned the systematic abuse of Palestinian detainees and previously described alleged perpetrators of rape as “heroic”. Guy Shalev of Physicians for Human Rights–Israel said the condemnation is a “performative” attempt to deflect attention from the structural nature of the violence.
Many countries have summoned Israeli ambassadors to protest. Ben-Gvir remains unapologetic, engaging in a public dispute with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who described the video as a “disgraceful display”. Yara Hawari of Al-Shabaka, the Palestinian Policy Network, commented: “Ben-Gvir’s video publicising the abuse of captured flotilla activists should surprise no one – not if you’ve listened to Palestinians for even a fraction of a minute.”
