Protesters detained from the Gaza flotilla have been handcuffed behind their backs and left to kneel face down on the floor in rows,in shocking video released by Israel.
Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir can be seen smirking,taunting and telling detained activists they should be imprisoned for a very long time.
One handcuffed Irish woman named by activists as Caitriona Graham shouts ‘Free Palestine’ at Ben Gvir but is taken down quickly with her head forced to the floor as the minister is ushered away smiling.
‘The courage of Catriona Graham in the face of Israeli outrages,puts our leadership to shame’,Stephen Bowen,Executive Director,Amnesty International Ireland said.
Helen McEntee,Ireland’s foreign minister,also condemned the video.
She posted on X: ‘Utterly appalling and unacceptable behaviour by Minister Gvir and the Israeli government.
‘Our Embassy has formally raised this matter with the Israeli authorities and has demanded proper and humane treatment of Irish citizens. These actions cannot be allowed to continue.’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said although Israel has every right to stop ‘provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters,’ the way that Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists ‘is not in line with Israel’s values and norms.’
On Wednesday,Gvir released the videos of himself walking among some of the approximately 430 detainees,after their arrival on navy ships.
One video shows activists with their hands tied behind their backs kneeling with their heads touching the floor inside what appears to be a makeshift detention area at Ashdod port and on the deck of a ship.
Armed guards patrol the barbed wire perimeter,guarding the activists trying to bring supplies to Gaza.
Detainees are lined up and cramped together on deck (Picture: Katie Thompson)
Ben-Gvir waved a large Israeli flag and told the detainees: ‘Welcome to Israel,we are the landlords.’ One handcuffed activist,who was shown in the video shouting ‘Free Palestine’ as Ben-Gvir walked past,was immediately pushed to the ground by security personnel.
In a second video,Ben Gvir says the activists ‘came here all full of pride like big heroes. Look at them now,’ while appealing to Netanyahu to grant him permission to imprison them.
‘I say to Prime Minister Netanyahu,give them to me for a long,long time,give them to us for the terrorist prisons,that’s what it should look like,’ Ben Gvir said.
Netanyahu said that he has given instructions that the activists be deported ‘as soon as possible.’
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir reacts as flotilla activists are detained by Israeli forces,in Ashdod Port (Picture: via REUTERS)
Gvir drew the ire of Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar,who publicly chastised his fellow minister on X,posting that ‘you knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display’ and that he had ‘undone tremendous,professional and successful efforts made by so many people.’
Follow us to receive the latest news updates from Metro (Picture: Getty Images)Metro’s on Whatsapp! Join our community for breaking news and juicy stories.‘No,you are not the face of Israel,’ Sa’ar wrote.Ben Gvir shot back at Sa’ar in the Israeli parliament,accusing him of ‘bowing to the terrorists’ which he called ‘a disgrace and a shame.’ He said that any Israeli apology to the activists would send a message of ‘weakness,’ ‘submission’ and ‘surrender.’‘Is he worried about the images? I am worried about the security of the residents of the state of Israel,and I care about them,’ Gvir said.Ben Trowell from UK Global Sumud speaks of his experience on the flotilla
Screengrab of the Gaza Flotilla
The situation in Palestine is beyond desperate.
So,myself and over 700 comrades from around the world,took it upon ourselves to deliver essential and life-saving aid to the people of Gaza in April this year.
In 2025,the largest civilian-led effort – known as the Global Sumud Flotilla – deployed dozens of vessels,but all were intercepted by the Israeli army,with hundreds of activists detained and deported.
So last month,we set out on another peaceful mission to again deliver essential aid.
The Israeli army thwarted our plans by initially intercepting 22 of our boats – I was on one of them – and have now done the same to the rest of our fleet,detaining the rest of our comrades.
While I was detained,I was beaten,psychologically tortured and had the majority of my clothes stolen.
Now,Israeli soldiers have kidnapped more than 400 participants.
There are currently 15 residents of the UK being held hostage and I am very concerned for their safety.
In my experience,we were held in a newly constructed detention centre,made up of a few shipping containers and a lot of razor wire. There were floodlights and strobe lights on us around the clock and the army pointing guns on us from the elevated platforms.
There was not enough space inside the containers for all of us to sleep and,while some were sleeping outside,Israel security services flooded the floor,leaving us soaking and freezing all night.
Whilst this was a horrific experience for all of us,it is absolutely nothing in comparison with what Palestinians have been forced to endure for more than eight decades – and that is why we do what we do.
Our Government in the UK should be doing everything in their power to get our citizens back safely.
We are already seeing videos emerge on social media of the mistreatment of UK citizens and the silence from our Government is deafening.
Today,some of our comrades have arrived in Ashdod port. Friends and family of participants have received this news by Ben Gvir,filming himself parading around their loved ones in stress positions,bound by extremely tight cable ties,whilst waving the Israeli flag and announcing ‘Israel lives,Israel is alive’. Cat of the GSF was thrown to the floor in one video after chanting ‘Free Palestine’. This blatant abuse of human rights is documented,witnessed and cannot be allowed to continue.
We have even witnessed,live-streamed,shooting towards those on the boats and still our government has done nothing.
When our Government fails,it is down to us,the people,to act.
An Israel-based legal advocacy group,the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel,or Adalah,accused Israeli authorities of ‘employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists.’
Adalah said in a statement that this followed similar patterns of ill-treatment by Israeli authorities against activists in previous flotilla missions ‘for which Israel faced zero accountability.’
The group said that its lawyers and other volunteers were providing legal advice to activists at Ashdod and were demanding their immediate release.
‘The international community must take urgent measures to protect the flotilla members against this brutal and illegal conduct by Israeli officials,’ the group said.
Flotilla organisers have said the activists from more than 40 different countries were ‘being subjected to violent abuse after being illegally abducted at sea’ while attempting to bypass the Gaza blockade. In a post on Telegram,they urged the international community to end the blockade and release all 9,500 Palestinians ‘held in Israeli torture dungeons.’
