Report: Prisons chief approved Ben Gvir’s behavior in clip of flotilla activists

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir taunts detained flotilla activists at Ashdod Port on May 20, 2026. (Screen grab/Ben Gvir's X account)
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir taunts detained flotilla activists at Ashdod Port on May 20, 2026. (Screen grab/Ben Gvir's X account)

Israel Prisons Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi reportedly approved the behavior of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir in a widely derided clip of detained activists from the Gaza flotilla.

According to a report in the Kan public broadcaster, Yaakobi, considered a close ally of Ben Gvir, gave the go ahead for the minister to tour the facility where the activists were held, as well as them being restrained, forced to kneel on the ground and having him parade around with an Israeli flag and blasting Hebrew music.

The media outlets suggests that the prison officials present in the clip were acting against political and military policies.

The Prisons Service tells Haaretz in a statement that the detention of the activists was “carried out in accordance with procedure and professional considerations.”

The video was condemned not just by a wide range of nations, including the US, UK, Canada and most European countries, but also by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.

Yaakobi is set to be indicted on charges that he informed a senior police official that he was the subject of a covert probe, in a bid to curry favor with Ben Gvir.

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