Ben Gvir taunts detained Gaza flotilla activists as they kneel on floor, hands tied

20 May 2026, 2:36 pm

8 Edit

A video released by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir showing detained flotilla activists at Ashdod Port on May 20, 2026. (Screenshot/Ben Gvir's X account)

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir releases a video in which he can be seen taunting the detained activists from the Gaza flotilla.

Dozens of international activists can be seen kneeling on the ground at the facility at Ashdod port, apparently with their hands tied.

The video begins with one of the activists shouting “Free Palestine,” before they are bundled to the ground by officers and dragged out of the way of the minister as he tours the facility.

With dozens of activists handcuffed and kneeling on the ground, Ben Gvir is then seen waving a large Israeli flag and shouting in Hebrew, “Welcome to Israel, we are the masters.”

In another shot, activists can be seen on the deck of a ship as Israel’s national anthem is played over a loudspeaker, while other parts of the clip show Ben Gvir arguing with a man, and saying “that’s how it needs to be,” when shown another man being restrained.

The activists are detained at Ashdod port after the Foreign Ministry said yesterday that the latest activist flotilla aiming to break the naval blockade of Gaza has “come to an end,” with the activists taken to Israel.

The sister of Ireland’s President Catherine Connolly is among the over 400 activists who were on board the flotilla that sailed from Turkey last week.

Israel has dismissed the flotilla as “a PR stunt at the service of Hamas.”