Last week, Ben-Gvir posted on social media a video of himself taunting flotilla activists that were detained by Israeli forces as they headed for Gaza in an attempt to break Israel’s naval blockade. The videos include a clip of Ben-Gvir waving an Israeli flag over the detainees who appear hunched over on the ground with their hands bound and a clip of him smiling and chanting “Am Yisrael Chai”—Hebrew for “The nation of Israel lives”—at a detainee. Other clips showed detainees being pushed down to the ground, and detainees with their foreheads pressed against the floor, surrounded by armed guards as the Israeli national anthem plays.
The videos sparked public outcry, with several European countries calling for the European Union to sanction Ben-Gvir, and some, including France, taking their own steps to ban him from entry.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Ben-Gvir’s actions on Wednesday, calling Ben-Gvir’s actions “not in line with Israel’s values and norms.” Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar also criticized Ben-Gvir, saying in a post last week, “you are not the face of Israel.”
Israeli forces intercepted the 50-boat flotilla in international waters around 250 miles off the coast of Israel beginning on May 18. Those on board the flotilla included activists, journalists, and at least one Italian lawmaker, who set sail from the Turkish district of Marmaris on May 14. Flotilla activists have said that their aim is to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza in order to deliver much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
Italian lawmaker Danilo Della Valle said the flotilla activists that returned to Italy reported incidents of “public exposure in handcuffs and chains, physical and psychological violence, degrading treatment and violations of human dignity.” Italian prosecutors are reportedly investigating possible crimes of kidnapping, torture, and sexual assault against the activists.
The detainees, hailing from more than 40 countries, have all been deported, according to Israel’s foreign ministry.
A man named Suza, one of the Americans who had participated in the Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza, shows a bruise on his eye he said he received while in Israeli captivity after returning to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City on May 24, 2026. —Stephanie Keith—Getty Images
E.U. to consider sanctions
A growing number of countries have condemned Israel’s alleged mistreatment of the flotilla activists.
“In the democratic world we do not abuse and gloat over people in custody,” Polish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski posted on X. “You may not treat Polish citizens who have committed no crime in this way.” In an interview, Sikorski added that Ben-Gvir is “a chauvinist and attention-seeker, so he’s a threat to public order in Poland.”
Italy also formally asked the E.U. to weigh sanctions against Ben-Gvir, with France, Ireland, Spain, and several other European nations backing the request.
Several countries, including Italy, France, the Netherlands, Poland, and Canada have also summoned their Israeli ambassadors over the alleged mistreatment. Others have expressed formal diplomatic protests, Della Valle said.
The outrage over the alleged mistreatment of detainees has also sparked calls for a broader reckoning with Israel’s killing of more than 75,000 Palestinians during the war and its continued attacks on Gaza and restrictions of humanitarian aid despite the cease-fire.
The detentions of the flotilla activists come after the E.U. levied targeted sanctions on Israeli settlers and settler organizations that had committed violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Those sanctions, which had been blocked for months by Hungary under Viktor Orbán, moved forward after Hungary’s new pro-E.U. government took office earlier this year.
Now, some E.U. members are calling for further action from the bloc. In a letter to the European Council from Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin that was obtained by the AFP, Martin called on the E.U. to ban “products from Israeli settlements and the suspension of parts if not all of the E.U.’s Association Agreement with Israel.” Del Valle also called for a suspension of the June 2000 agreement, which created a framework for cooperation, including a clause requiring respect for human rights.
The possibility of sanctions will be discussed at the next E.U. Foreign Affairs Council meeting on June 15.
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