Turkey on Wednesday condemned the Israeli government after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir posted a video showing detained Gaza-bound flotilla activists kneeling with their hands tied, calling the footage evidence of the “violent and barbaric mentality” of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Ben Gvir had “once again openly demonstrated to the world the violent and barbaric mentality of the Netanyahu government,” after the minister shared the video on X with the caption “Welcome to Israel.”
ככה אנחנו מקבלים את תומכי הטרור
Welcome to Israel 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/7Hf8cAg7fC
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) May 20, 2026
The footage, posted after Israeli forces intercepted vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla at sea and began detaining hundreds of foreign activists at the southern port of Ashdod, shows dozens of activists on the deck of a military boat kneeling with their hands tied and their foreheads on the ground as the Israeli national anthem plays in the background.
Ben Gvir is also seen waving an Israeli flag and heckling the detained activists.
Around 50 vessels belonging to the Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Turkey last week in the latest attempt by activists to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid by sea, after Israeli forces intercepted a previous convoy last month.
Israeli authorities said 430 activists aboard the flotilla were being taken to Israel, while the rights group Adalah said some had already arrived at Ashdod port and were being held there.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry had earlier condemned the interception of the flotilla, calling it a “new act of piracy” in international waters and called for the immediate release of Turkish citizens and other activists on board.
The video also drew criticism from Italy, while Ben Gvir was rebuked by Israel’s own foreign minister and Netanyahu.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called Israel’s treatment of the activists “unacceptable,” demanded the immediate release of detained Italian citizens and called for an apology from Israel.
“It is intolerable that these protesters, among whom there are many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment, which violates human dignity,” Meloni said in a statement.
Netanyahu said Ben Gvir’s handling of the activists was “not in line with Israel’s values and norms” and said he had instructed the relevant authorities to deport the activists “as soon as possible.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also criticized Ben Gvir on X, saying he had “knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display, and not for the first time.”
גרמת ביודעין נזק למדינה במופע המחפיר הזה ולא בפעם הראשונה.
הורדת לטמיון מאמצים אדירים מקצועיים ומוצלחים שנעשו על ידי רבים רבים – מחיילי צה״ל ועד עובדי משרד החוץ ועוד רבים וטובים.
לא, אתה לא הפנים של ישראל. https://t.co/KOj6fhpyM7
— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) May 20, 2026
Ben Gvir defended the footage in parliament, saying he was “proud” of the authorities who acted against what he called “supporters of terror.”
“Yes, there will be all sorts of pictures that Gideon Saar does not like, but I think they are a great source of pride,” he said.
Hamas said the footage was evidence of Israeli leaders’ “moral depravity and sadism.”
Adalah accused Israeli authorities of abuse and humiliation, saying lawyers from the group had gone to the detention center to meet with the detainees.
“Israel is employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists seeking to confront Israel’s ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people,” Adalah said in a statement.
The group said the activists, who had set sail for Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge the blockade, had been “forcefully abducted from international waters and taken into Israeli territory entirely against their will.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the flotilla as a publicity stunt serving Hamas.
“Another PR flotilla has come to an end. All 430 activists have been transferred to Israeli vessels and are making their way to Israel, where they will be able to meet with their consular representatives,” a ministry spokesman said late Tuesday.
“This flotilla has once again proved to be nothing more than a PR stunt at the service of Hamas,” the spokesman added.
Netanyahu had earlier described the flotilla as “a malicious scheme designed to break the blockade we have imposed on Hamas terrorists in Gaza.”
Organizers said the flotilla also included 15 Irish citizens, one of them being Margaret Connolly, sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly.
There were also reportedly 28 Turkish citizens among the activists from 40 countries in the flotilla.
Relations between Turkey and Israel have deteriorated sharply since the start of the Gaza war, with the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan repeatedly accusing Israel of committing atrocities and genocide in the Palestinian enclave.
Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. During the war triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Gaza has suffered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies, with Israel at times halting aid deliveries entirely.
More than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to figures from Gaza health authorities. Independent trackers and humanitarian sources have continued to report the toll as above 72,000, while experts have said the true number is likely higher.
A previous flotilla was intercepted last month in international waters off Greece. Most activists were expelled to Europe, while two were taken to Israel, detained for several days and then deported.
Agence France-Presse with reporting from Turkish Minute
