{"id":881,"date":"2026-05-21T00:45:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T00:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arabnewsmonitor.com\/2026\/05\/21\/what-is-the-gaza-flotilla-monstrously-abused-by-israel\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T00:45:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T00:45:44","slug":"what-is-the-gaza-flotilla-monstrously-abused-by-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/?p=881","title":{"rendered":"What is the Gaza flotilla \u2018monstrously\u2019 abused by Israel?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has become a lightning rod for international criticism after taunting detained activists<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1009\" data-end=\"1095\"><strong data-start=\"1009\" data-end=\"1016\"><\/strong>Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters as it approached Gaza on May 18, preventing the vessels from reaching the enclave and detaining more than 400 activists from around 40 countries.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1473\" data-end=\"1763\">The mission had set out from T\u00fcrkiye to challenge Israel\u2019s naval blockade and draw attention to Gaza\u2019s humanitarian crisis. Those detained included citizens of Italy, the UK, Canada, T\u00fcrkiye, Greece, France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Ireland, and New Zealand.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1473\" data-end=\"1763\">The controversy escalated after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released videos showing detained activists zip-tied and kneeling with their foreheads to the ground while he walked among them, mocked them, and described them as supporters of terrorism.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1765\" data-end=\"2035\">\n<aside class=\"listicle\">\n<p data-start=\"1765\" data-end=\"2035\"><strong data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2067\">What is the Gaza flotilla?<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n        <span><strong>Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<figure>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mf.b37mrtl.ru\/files\/2026.05\/thumbnail\/6a0c07e3203027689d55dcf4.jpg\" alt=\"Israeli soldiers intercepting the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian flotilla.\"><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/news\/640156-flotilla-israel-gaza-cyprus\/\">Israeli forces storm Gaza-bound aid flotilla<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"1765\" data-end=\"2035\">\n<p data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2553\">The Global Sumud Flotilla is the latest in a series of Gaza-bound maritime missions organized by pro-Palestinian activists to challenge Israel\u2019s naval blockade. Organizers say such missions aim to break what they describe as an unlawful siege, deliver symbolic humanitarian aid, and spotlight Gaza\u2019s humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Israel\u00a0claims the blockade is needed to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas and has repeatedly described flotilla missions as provocations or propaganda operations.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"listicle\">\n<p data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2553\"><strong data-start=\"2555\" data-end=\"2584\">Has this happened before?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2553\">Israel has intercepted Gaza-bound convoys multiple times over the years. The most infamous case came in 2010, when armed Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/news\/202643-icc-israel-war-crimes-flotilla\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">killing\u00a0nine Turkish citizens<\/a>\u00a0and triggering a major diplomatic crisis with Ankara. Just last month, Israeli naval forces <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/news\/639327-israel-rsf-journalists-gaza\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">intercepted 22 boats<\/a> and detained approximately 175 activists near Crete.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"listicle\">\n<p data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2553\"><strong data-start=\"2954\" data-end=\"2979\">International outrage<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2553\">The images triggered condemnation even from Israel\u2019s allies and partners, with much of the criticism focused on Ben-Gvir personally. The US ambassador to Israel described his conduct as <em>\u201cdespicable\u201d<\/em> and a <em>\u201cbetrayal of Israel\u2019s dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\n        <span><strong>Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<figure>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mf.b37mrtl.ru\/files\/2026.05\/thumbnail\/6a0db70985f54030b401e97b.png\" alt=\"RT\"><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/africa\/640273-south-africa-condemns-israel-abduction-gaza-aid-flotilla-activists\/\">South Africa condemns abduction of activists on Gaza-bound aid flotilla<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2553\">Spanish Foreign Minister Jos\u00e9 Manuel Albares called the treatment of the detainees <em>\u201cmonstrous, inhuman and undignified.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/em>Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called Israel\u2019s treatment of the flotilla members <em>\u201cabominable,\u201d<\/em> while Italy demanded the immediate release of its detained citizens, calling their treatment a violation of <em>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rt.com\/news\/640280-meloni-ambassador-israel-video-flotilla\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">human dignity<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/em>Foreign ministers from France, Greece, the Netherlands, T\u00fcrkiye, and South Korea also condemned the incident, with criticism also coming from the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand.<\/p>\n<p>Rights groups accused Israeli authorities of mistreating detainees, including through violence, stress positions, psychological trauma, and denial of access to lawyers. Israel has defended the interception, while some officials have rejected allegations of improper treatment.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"listicle\">\n<p data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2553\"><strong data-start=\"4022\" data-end=\"4042\">Israeli response<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2553\">Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to distance himself from Ben-Gvir, describing his conduct toward the activists as <em>\u201cnot consistent with the values and norms of the State of Israel.\u201d<\/em> Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar also criticized Ben-Gvir, saying he had caused harm to Israel with his <em>\u201cdisgraceful display.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/em>Ben-Gvir doubled down, accusing Sa\u2019ar of submitting to <em>\u201csupporters of terrorism.\u201d<\/em> Israeli officials nevertheless continued to defend the interception itself, describing the flotilla as a <em>\u201cPR stunt at the service of Hamas.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2553\"><strong data-start=\"2555\" data-end=\"2584\"><\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2553\"><strong data-start=\"2555\" data-end=\"2584\"><\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2553\"><strong data-start=\"2555\" data-end=\"2584\"><\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2553\"><strong data-start=\"2954\" data-end=\"2979\"><\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2553\"><strong data-start=\"2954\" data-end=\"2979\"><\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"2037\" data-end=\"2553\"><strong data-start=\"4022\" data-end=\"4042\"><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has become a lightning rod for international criticism after taunting&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}