Italy condemns Israeli security minister’s videos taunting bound flotilla activists

Detained activists from a flotilla that tried to get past the Israeli blockade of Gaza arrived Wednesday in Israel where the national security minister released videos taunting them and saying they should be imprisoned for a very long time.

JERUSALEM — Detained activists from a flotilla that tried to get past the Israeli blockade of Gaza arrived Wednesday in Israel where the national security minister released videos taunting them and saying they should be imprisoned for a very long time.

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

The videos showing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir walking among some of the approximately 430 detainees after their arrival on navy ships drew a backlash abroad and in Israel, where a fellow government minister called them inappropriate and “disgraceful.”

One video shows activists with their hands tied behind their backs kneeling with their heads touching the floor inside what appears to be a makeshift detention area at Ashdod port and on the deck of a ship.