Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the treatment of Gaza flotilla activists detained by Israel, calling it “unacceptable”, after an Israeli minister posted a video of them kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs. Meloni also called for an immediate release of any detained Italian citizens and demanded an apology from Tel Aviv.
She wrote in a post on X, “It is intolerable that these protesters, among whom there are many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment, which violates human dignity. Italy also demands an apology for the treatment inflicted on these demonstrators and for the total disregard shown towards the explicit requests of the Italian government.”
The video was posted by far-right national Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on his X account, captioning it with “Welcome to Israel”. It showed the flotilla activists being tied and forced to kneel on the deck of a military boat with the Israeli national anthem playing in the background.
The latest fleet of the Global Sumud Flotilla departed from Turkey last week to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza amid Israel’s ongoing blockage. Israeli Defense Force (IDF) intercepted the vessels and detained the activists, including the sister of the Irish President Catherine Connolly.
Israeli authorities said 430 activists aboard the flotilla were on the way to Israel, while the Adalah rights group said some had arrived at Ashdod port and were being detained there.
Israel has been imposing a blockade on all entry points into Gaza since 2007. Despite a “ceasefire” mediated by Trump in October, Palestinians continue to suffer from critical shortages of food, medical supplies, baby formula, and sanitary products. Israel continues to strike the Gaza strip, killing around 880 people since the declaration of the ceasefire. Many survivors live in tents, suffering from starvation and diseases.
International activists, such as Greta Thunberg, have made repeated attempts to breach the blockade and deliver aid to the strip before being intercepted by the IDF.
