At least ten countries summoned Israel’s ambassadors amid mounting outrage over the treatment of detained activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), which was heading to break the siege on Gaza and deliver medical and humanitarian aid.
The diplomatic backlash followed the Wednesday circulation of video footage showing Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir mocking activists as Israeli forces physically assaulted and humiliated detainees whose hands were bound with zip ties.
Detained GSF activists were released from the Ktziot detention facility for deportation on Thursday, according to the Adalah legal center. Spain’s Foreign Minister José Albares reported that detainees were being moved to an airport for possible deportation via Turkey, whose Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the country will operate special flights today to bring its citizens and other participants back to Turkey.
Two Egyptian nationals have also been deported: a former Egyptian ambassador, Mohamed Elewa, through the Taba border crossing, and another via the United Kingdom, Adalah’s lawyer Moatasem Zidan told Al Manassa.
However, one activist who holds Israeli citizenship, Zohar Regev, faces a court hearing at Ashkelon Magistrate Court on charges of illegal entry into Israel, unlawful stay, and attempting to break the blockade on Gaza, according to the center.
Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Poland, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have addressed Israeli ambassadors over the “unacceptable” acts, demanding apologies for the detainees’ treatment and their release, with some highlighting existing travel bans placed on Ben-Gvir for his extremist and violent policies.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced the summoning of the Israeli ambassador in Paris, condemning what he described as “unacceptable” behavior while voicing opposition to the flotilla in his statement.
His Belgian counterpart deemed the abuses as violations of basic human rights. “The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic and demands the full attention of the international community. Belgium is and will remain active in raising this attention through every diplomatic channel,” Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot wrote Wednesday.
Videos shared online showed Ben-Gvir inspecting detainees at Ashdod Port while Israeli officers appeared to assault activists, including dragging one female activist by her hair, as the Israeli national anthem blasted through loudspeakers.
On Wednesday, Adalah center reported restrictions and harassment of its lawyers trying to assist the activists at the port before they were transferred to Ktziot prison.
“Our team received a large number of complaints of extreme violence, revealing a new pattern of physical abuse deliberately used by Israeli authorities,” it said in a statement published Wednesday, on their WhatsApp channel.
Separately, a coordinator on the ground told Al Manassa that three people were hospitalized with serious injuries as a result of the Israeli assaults, while others reported physical and sexual abuse.
“Again, this is just a taste of what Palestinians experience daily,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu partly distanced himself from Ben-Gvir’s conduct, calling it inconsistent with “Israel’s values and standards,” while reaffirming Israel’s “right” to block what he described as “provocative” flotillas linked to Hamas.
Israel intercepted the flotilla’s vessels in the Mediterranean near Cyprus, roughly 250 nautical miles from Gaza, during naval raids carried out Monday and Tuesday before transferring at least 428 activists to Ashdod, an action the GSF deemed unlawful.
The flotilla, a civilian maritime initiative, launched from Barcelona in mid-April 2026, with over 70 boats and more than 1,000 activists from 100 countries, was intercepted on April 30 near Crete. Prominent organizers Thiago Ávila and Saif Abukeshek were separately taken to Israel for questioning before being deported.
The flotilla regrouped and sailed again, only to be intercepted a second time after departing Turkey. This is not the first time Israel has targeted the mission, as GSF activists filmed Israeli forces’ brutality during the raids.
The flotilla’s repeated attempts reflect the dire situation in Gaza, where roughly two million Palestinians have been living under ongoing Israeli strikes and blockade since October 2023, facing catastrophic levels of malnutrition, disease, and the near-total collapse of the healthcare system.
The GSF said it will hold a press conference on Thursday to provide details of the reported torture and humiliation of its activists by Israeli forces.
