Israel’s interception and mass deportation of Gaza-bound flotilla activists has ignited a fresh international firestorm, deepening tensions over the war in Gaza and placing renewed scrutiny on the country’s treatment of detainees after controversial footage released by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sparked outrage across several capitals.
More than 420 activists from dozens of countries arrived in Istanbul on Thursday aboard three chartered flights organized by Türkiye after being detained for days by Israeli authorities. The activists were among hundreds intercepted Monday when Israeli naval forces stopped the Global Sumud flotilla, a convoy of roughly 50 vessels attempting to challenge Israel’s long-running blockade of Gaza.
As the planes touched down in Istanbul, scenes at the airport quickly turned emotional and politically charged.
Supporters waving Palestinian flags packed the terminal while activists emerged wearing grey detention sweatsuits and black-and-white keffiyehs, some limping as they raised victory signs and shouted "Free Palestine.”
Turkish authorities said all returning activists would undergo medical examinations, while several detainees publicly accused Israeli forces of physical abuse, intimidation and degrading treatment during their detention.
"They attacked us. Each of us was beaten, women and men,” Turkish activist Bulal Kitay said after landing in Istanbul. "It’s what Palestinians experience all the time.”
Italian journalist Alessandro Mantovani, who was deported earlier than the main group, alleged that Israeli officers struck detainees while transporting them in restraints to Ben Gurion Airport.
"They beat us up. They kicked us and punched us and shouted, ‘Welcome to Israel,’” Mantovani told reporters after returning to Italy.
Italian lawmaker Dario Carotenuto described terrifying moments inside detention facilities, saying armed Israeli personnel pointed rifles directly at activists. Legal representatives from Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, said some detainees reported broken ribs while at least two participants were hospitalized after being struck by rubber bullets.
Israeli prison officials rejected the accusations outright. Prison Service spokesperson Zivan Freidin dismissed the claims as "false and entirely without factual basis,” while Israeli authorities maintained that detainees were treated according to legal standards.
The diplomatic backlash intensified after Ben-Gvir released videos Wednesday showing handcuffed activists kneeling with their foreheads pressed to the ground inside what appeared to be a makeshift detention area aboard a ship. In another clip, the far-right minister walked among detainees waving an Israeli flag and taunting them.
The footage quickly triggered condemnation from governments around the world and even criticism from within Israel’s own leadership.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rebuked Ben-Gvir, saying Israel had every right to stop flotillas attempting to breach the naval blockade but insisting the minister’s conduct "was not in line with Israel’s values and norms.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also reportedly criticized the videos, while U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee joined calls condemning the handling of the detainees.
Britain summoned Israel’s top diplomat in London over what officials described as an "inflammatory video,” while France, Portugal, Italy and Spain also called in Israeli envoys to formally protest the treatment of the activists.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Ben-Gvir’s actions were "unacceptable,” noting that even Israeli officials had distanced themselves from the minister’s conduct.
Spain and Italy went further by urging the European Union to consider sanctions against Ben-Gvir. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin reportedly pressed EU officials to examine stronger measures against Israel, including suspending parts of its cooperation agreements with the bloc and restricting settlement-linked trade.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said several activists were deported directly to their home countries, while others were transferred by land crossings into Egypt and Jordan. Adalah confirmed that an Israeli participant, veteran activist Zohar Regev, was released after a court hearing on charges related to illegal entry and unlawful stay.
The flotilla represented the latest chapter in a long-running campaign by international activists seeking to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza, which has been in place since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007.
Dozens of vessels originally departed from Spain in April, but Israeli authorities intercepted part of the convoy near the Greek island of Crete and forced many activists off the boats. Organizers regrouped in Türkiye before launching a second, larger mission from the port city of Marmaris on May 14.
Israeli forces began intercepting the flotilla roughly 268 kilometers from Gaza’s coast, according to organizers. Israel insists the naval blockade is legal and necessary to stop Hamas from importing weapons and military supplies. Critics argue the blockade has devastated Gaza’s civilian population and amounts to collective punishment.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the convoy as "a PR stunt at the service of Hamas,” arguing the flotilla carried only symbolic amounts of aid and was intended primarily to generate international attention.
The dispute widened further after the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on several European activists connected to the flotilla. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent labeled the convoy "pro-terror,” reinforcing Washington’s alignment with Israel’s position on the blockade.
At the United Nations, Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour told the Security Council that international outrage over the treatment of foreign activists should also draw attention to what Palestinians experience daily inside Israeli detention facilities.
"What Ben-Gvir did is the tip of the iceberg,” Mansour said.
The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of the ongoing Gaza crisis, which began following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, incursion on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has since killed more than 72,700 people in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, while aid agencies continue warning of catastrophic shortages of food, medicine and fuel across the besieged territory.