Dozens of international activists are seen kneeling on the ground with their hands tied in front of Israel's far-right National Security Minister.
A video published by Israel's far-right National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, has sparked global outrage. The ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seen mocking members of the international humanitarian "Global Sumud Flotilla" who were arrested at sea while attempting to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. Dozens of international activists are shown kneeling on the ground with their hands bound. The video begins with an activist shouting "Free Palestine," as police officers shove her head down and drag her along the ground to remove her from the Minister's presence.
ככה אנחנו מקבלים את תומכי הטרור
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) May 20, 2026
Welcome to Israel ?? pic.twitter.com/7Hf8cAg7fC
On his part, the ultra-orthodox Ben Gvir holds up a large Israeli flag in front of the captives, shouting, "Welcome to Israel, we are the owners here." In subsequent shots, the detainees are seen on the deck of a ship, while the country's national anthem plays over loudspeakers.
Outrage in Italy, silence from Greece
The Italian government has characterized the treatment of the Gaza flotilla activists as unacceptable, stressing that it will summon the Israeli ambassador for explanations. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani emphasize that Italy "demands an apology for the treatment" of the activists and condemns the "absolute lack of respect" shown toward the Italian government’s requests. "The images of Israeli Minister Ben Gvir are unacceptable. It is unacceptable that these protesters, including many Italian citizens, are subjected to treatment that violates their human dignity," they underline.
A soft diplomatic protest from the Greek Foreign Ministry
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, censures the behavior of Israel's National Security Minister, Gvir, directed at the citizens participating in the "Global Sumud Flotilla," labeling it unacceptable and absolutely condemnable. On the orders of Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, a formal diplomatic protest was lodged regarding the incident.
"We demand full respect for international humanitarian law and human rights, and we call on the Israeli authorities to expedite all procedures and immediately release the Greek citizens," the Foreign Ministry emphasizes in its statement.
Anxiety over the fate of the Global Sumud Flotilla Greeks
Meanwhile, the fate of the Greek mission of the Global Sumud Flotilla remains unknown after their ships were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters southwest of Cyprus on Monday (May 18). Israeli forces boarded several vessels of the global fleet carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza and abducted the activists on board. Ten ships are still sailing toward Gaza to break the blockade.
The Israeli attack took place on Monday morning, when contact with the fleet's vessels began to be lost. As hours passed, it became known that the Greek ships of the fleet had also been seized by Israeli forces, with videos of the boarding raids surfacing, while contact was lost with the remaining vessels. Since then, the fate of the Greek citizens who were on board remains unknown.
The Mayday ignored by Greece and Cyprus
It is worth noting that, as alleged by the "March to Gaza" initiative, which released a recording, the vessels sent dozens of MAYDAY signals, with the Cypriot Coast Guard failing to respond, despite the fact that the Israeli attack took place in a search and rescue area under Cypriot jurisdiction. The same had occurred two weeks earlier in Greek search and rescue territory between Kythira and Crete, resulting in two of the global fleet's activists being taken to Israeli prisons, where they reported being tortured by Israeli forces. At the same time, dozens of protesters held a new mobilization today (May 19) outside the Foreign Ministry. According to those gathered, there is still no information regarding the 19 members of the Greek mission of the Global Summud Flotilla, who were arrested yesterday in international waters off Cyprus, "essentially in its rescue zone," as was pointed out during the protest. Protesters from the "March to Gaza Greece" initiative appeared with Palestinian flags and a large red banner outside the ministry, which read, "Hands off the solidarity fleet – the wave we raised will not stop, it will break the blockade." Relatives and lawyers demanded that a committee be allowed to enter the ministry to be informed about the whereabouts and condition of the detainees.
What we know about the Greek citizens abducted by Israel
Specifically, Gabriel Papoutsakis was on the first Greek ship intercepted, the Arna’s Children. Subsequently, the Israeli military seized the vessel Bellela, which carried the majority of the Greek citizens: Giannis Atmatzidis, Odysseas Iliopoulos, Dimitris Bitoulas-Kourousis, Anna Lagonikou, Vangelis Theodoratos, Kostis Plevris, Giorgos Tsiris, and Vicky Kotsori. In the meantime, all contact was lost with the vessel Intifada, carrying Christine Desi-Louka, Ioannis Dapolas, Pantelis Raphael-Vlachos, and Fevronia Vokali, as well as the vessel Birzeit.
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