The treatment of an Israeli minister to pro-Palestinian activists who were aboard an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, and which was intercepted by Israeli naval forces, received international condemnation this Wednesday.

Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States were among the countries that expressed outrage after the Minister of National Security, the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir, published a video in which he is seen mocking activists kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs.

Their actions also drew rare criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said they are not “in line with Israel's values.”

A human rights group representing the detainees said they had been victims of physical abuse that resulted in “widespread serious injuries.”

The Adalah organization noted that at least three were taken to a hospital and have already been discharged.

“(Adalah’s) lawyers documented dozens of participants with suspected rib fractures and subsequent difficulty breathing,” they say in a statement.

“Reports also indicated the frequent use of Tasers against participants, as well as injuries sustained from the use of rubber bullets during the interception.”

The group claimed that the activists were also “subjected to severe degradation, sexual harassment and humiliation.”

Israeli authorities have not commented on the accusations.

More than 50 vessels participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) set sail from Türkiye last Thursday.

On board were 430 people from more than 40 countries and a symbolic amount of aid.

Israel dismissed the initiative as a “publicity stunt in the service of Hamas.”

“Against his will”

On Monday morning, armed Israeli naval commandos began intercepting the fleet in international waters west of Cyprus, about 250 nautical miles (460 kilometers) from the coast of Gaza, which is under an Israeli maritime blockade.

GSF organizers claimed that all vessels had been intercepted by Tuesday night, and that one managed to approach within 80 nautical miles of Palestinian territory.

In addition, they accused Israel of “illegal aggression on the high seas” and claimed that Israeli commandos opened fire on six boats, used water cannons and deliberately rammed a ship.

Israel's Foreign Ministry said no live ammunition was used and insisted it will not allow any violation of the legal naval blockade on Gaza.

The ministry also said that all the activists were transferred to Israeli vessels and that they will be able to meet with their consular representatives after their arrival in Israel.

The Israeli rights group Adalah had noted this Wednesday that the activists were being “taken to Israeli territory completely against their will” and detained in the port of Ashdod.

“The legal team will challenge the legality of these arrests and demand the immediate release of all flotilla participants,” he added.

On Wednesday afternoon, Ben Gvir — an ultranationalist who, as Minister of National Security, oversees Israel's police — posted a video on social media with the text: "This is how we accept supporters of terrorism. Welcome to Israel."

In the images he is seen visiting a detention center in the port of Ashdod, where activists are being held.

He appears encouraging security personnel as they push an activist to the ground who shouts “Free, Free, Palestine” as he walks past her.

He then waves a large Israeli flag next to dozens of activists kneeling on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs and tells them in Hebrew: "Welcome to Israel. We own it."

Other activists are shown kneeling on the deck of a ship while the Israeli national anthem plays.

“A criminal policy of abuse and humiliation”

In response to the video released by Ben Gvir, the Adalah organization said that the images demonstrate that Israel is “applying a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists.”

The British Foreign Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said on Wednesday that the video shows “totally embarrassing scenes” and that she had sent a subpoena to the Israeli embassy to demand an “urgent explanation.”

Cooper reported that they are in contact with the families of several Britons involved to provide them with consular support.

“We have demanded an explanation from the Israeli authorities and have made clear their obligation to protect the rights of our citizens and all those involved,” he said.

Last year, the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, Canada and New Zealand imposed sanctions on Ben Gvir and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich “for repeated incitements to violence against Palestinian communities.”

That was the first time that Israeli ministers were sanctioned by Western governments.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday called Israel's treatment of activists "abhorrent" and added that he had given instructions to summon the Israeli ambassador.

“Protection of civilians and respect for human dignity must prevail everywhere, at all times,” Carney said in a post on X.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong condemned Ben Gvir, saying the actions of Israeli authorities were “degrading.”

Spain, Italy, France, the Netherlands and Belgium said on Wednesday that Ben Gvir's actions are "unacceptable" and announced that they have summoned their respective Israeli ambassadors.

The president of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, wrote in X that “the images of the Israeli minister Ben Gvir humiliating the members of the international flotilla in support of Gaza are unacceptable.”

"We are not going to tolerate anyone mistreating our citizens. In September I announced the ban on access to the national territory of this member of the Israeli government. Now we are going to push in Brussels for these sanctions to be raised to a European level urgently," he added.

“It is intolerable that these protesters, among whom there are many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment, which violates human dignity,” declared the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, who added that her country also demands an apology.

French Foreign Minister Jean Noël Barrot expressed the country's “outrage” and called for French citizens “to be treated with respect and released without delay.”

Her Canadian counterpart, Anita Anand, told reporters that the video is “deeply worrying” and a matter they take “very, very seriously.”

Ireland's Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said the video shows that "illegally detained Sumud Global Flotilla participants, including Irish citizens, are not being treated at all with appropriate dignity or respect."

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called Ben Gvir's actions “despicable.”

Internal questions

In an unusual step, Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar joined in the condemnation and, addressing him in X, wrote: “You intentionally caused harm to the country in this shameful spectacle, and it is not the first time.”

Ben Gvir quickly responded: “The Foreign Minister is expected to understand that Israel is no longer a child who can be slapped.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu then issued his own rebuke.

“Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza,” he said in a statement.

“However, the way Minister Ben Gvir acted towards the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel's values ​​and norms.”

The prime minister added that he instructed Israeli authorities to “deport the provocateurs as soon as possible.”

The GSF said the activists on board were carrying food, baby formula and medical aid for Palestinians in Gaza, where living conditions are dire and most of the 2.1 million residents are displaced, despite a ceasefire agreed by Israel and Hamas last October.

Israel's Foreign Ministry described Gaza as “flooded with aid,” noting that more than 1.5 million tons of aid and thousands of tons of medical supplies have entered the territory in the past seven months.