Hi there,

Please support our independent journalism. Our war coverage isn't funded by weapons manufacturers, our climate reporting isn't paid for by oil companies, our stories on economic inequality aren't sponsored by financial institutions. Instead, our independent journalism is funded by viewers and listeners like you.Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much!

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

Video Shows Israeli Security Minister Ben-Gvir Taunting Handcuffed Gaza Flotilla Activists

HeadlineMay 21, 2026

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself taunting hundreds of Global Sumud Flotilla activists who were abducted by Israel in international waters this week. The video shows dozens of men and women kneeling in rows, with their foreheads to the ground and their hands zip-tied behind their back at the port in Ashdod. According to lawyers representing the flotilla, three activists were taken to the hospital as a result of Israeli violence. This is a portion of Ben-Gvir’s video.

Itamar Ben-Gvir: “They came with much pride, as big heroes. Look. Look. See how they look now. Look. Look at how they look now. Not heroes and not anything. Terror supporters. I tell Prime Minister Netanyahu: Give them to me for much more time. Give them to us for the terrorists’ prisons. This is how it should look.”

Ben-Gvir’s video was roundly condemned around the world. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said, “It is inadmissible that these demonstrators, including many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment that violates human dignity.” Spain’s foreign minister called Ben-Gvir’s actions “monstrous, disgraceful and inhumane.” It even drew criticism from U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who described Ben-Gvir’s behavior as “despicable,” saying the minister had “betrayed the dignity of his nation.” Huckabee’s rare criticism came a day after the U.S. Treasury announced sanctions against organizers of the Gaza flotilla.

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top