Spain and Italy have urged the European Union to impose sanctions on Israel’s far-right national security minister after he shared footage of detained activists from a Gaza-bound flotilla being forced to kneel with their hands restrained.
The video, posted Wednesday by Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, sparked international condemnation after showing foreign activists from the flotilla — intercepted by Israeli forces at sea and held pending deportation at the southern Israeli port of Ashdod — being treated in a heavy-handed manner.
The footage showed dozens of detainees kneeling on the ground with their foreheads lowered and their hands bound.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez both denounced the treatment as unacceptable’.
Writing on X on Thursday, Tajani said he had asked for sanctions against Ben-Gvir for ‘seizing the activists in international waters and subjecting them to harassment and humiliation, in violation of the most basic human rights’.
His remarks followed comments made a day earlier by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who described the treatment of the activists as ‘intolerable’ and called on Israel to issue an apology.
Sánchez also reacted on Wednesday via X (see below), saying: ‘The images of Israeli Minister Ben Gvir humiliating members of the international flotilla in support of Gaza are unacceptable. We will not tolerate anyone mistreating our citizens.’
In Ireland, a leaked letter revealed that Prime Minister Micheál Martin had appealed to EU leaders to take further action’ against Israel over the handling of the activists.
According to the AFP news agency, the letter – addressed to European Council President Antonio Costa and leaked by an unnamed government source – condemned Israel’s ‘shocking treatment of EU citizens’ and Ben-Gvir’s ‘unacceptable behaviour’.
Dated Wednesday, the letter called for the issue to be discussed at the next European Council meeting in June.
‘At the very least, this must include the banning of products from Israeli settlements and the suspension of parts if not all of the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel,’ Martin said.
The EU-Israel Association Agreement, which came into force in June 2000 and provides the framework for political and economic cooperation, contains a clause requiring respect for human rights.
Sánchez meanwhile described sanctions against Ben Gvir as ‘a matter of urgency’ for the EU, noting that Spain had already announced in September that the minister would be banned from entering the country. ALSO READ: Spain urges EU to suspend Israel agreement, but bloc remains divided.
Also on Thursday, the United Kingdom said it had summoned Israel’s most senior diplomat in Britain in response to ‘the inflammatory video’.
The footage (see below), captioned ‘Welcome to Israel’, showed Ben Gvir taunting the activists while waving an Israeli flag.
The activists had sailed from Turkey last week aboard around 50 vessels organised under the Global Sumud Flotilla initiative.
It marked the latest effort by pro-Palestinian activists to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza, following the interception of another flotilla by Israeli forces last month.
On Thursday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the treatment of detained Gaza flotilla activists by Itamar Ben-Gvir ‘not in line with Israel’s values and norms’, after the video taunting the detainees sparked international outcry.
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Las imágenes del ministro israelí Ben Gvir humillando a los miembros de la flotilla internacional en apoyo a Gaza son inaceptables.
No vamos a tolerar que nadie maltrate a nuestros ciudadanos. En septiembre anuncié la prohibición de acceso al territorio nacional de este miembro…
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) May 20, 2026
Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video in which he gloats over zip-tied activists detained from a flotilla headed for Gaza, provoking outrage, including from allied governments. Read more: https://t.co/PqK4AXQF1O pic.twitter.com/QO21xj6O9d
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 21, 2026
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