In the footage, which has triggered a wave of international criticism, the minister is seen waving an Israeli flag while walking among over 400 international activists —including dozens of Spaniards— who are handcuffed and kneeling on the ground.
The video, shared by the minister on his social media, starts with security agents forcing an activist to kneel as she shouted pro-Palestine slogans. Ben Gvir accompanies the post with a strong message: "This is how we welcome those who support terrorism. Welcome to Israel." During his tour of the facilities, the far-right leader added: "The summer camp is over. Anyone who acts against the State of Israel will face a determined State."
The minister's attitude has been described as a "criminal policy of abuse and humiliation" by human rights organizations like Adalah, which denounces that the activists were illegally intercepted in international waters while trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. In protest against this "illegal kidnapping," at least 87 of the detainees have declared a hunger strike.
The gravity of the images has forced the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to issue an unusual public reprimand towards his government partner. The Prime Minister stated in a release that "the way Minister Ben Gvir treated the flotilla activists does not align with Israel's values and norms. I have instructed the relevant authorities to deport the provocateurs as soon as possible."
However, Netanyahu emphasized that "Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist sympathizers from entering its territorial waters and reaching Gaza." Harsher words came from the Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, who accused Ben Gvir of deliberately damaging the country's image in the international community. In a public message, Saar told him: "You have deliberately harmed our country with this shameful spectacle, and this is not the first time.
You have undermined huge, professional, and successful efforts made by so many people, from soldiers to Foreign Ministry employees and many others." The diplomatic chief's letter concludes with a damning statement: "No, you are not the face of Israel." Far from retracting, Ben Gvir responded to his cabinet colleagues accusing them of weakness against "terrorism supporters."
The National Security Minister pointed out that "the Israeli Foreign Minister is expected to understand that Israel is no longer a child who can be slapped. Anyone who comes to our territory to support terrorism and identify with Hamas will be hit, and we will not turn the other cheek." This direct confrontation comes in a political context of maximum tension, after the Israeli Parliament approved the preliminary reading for its dissolution and early elections.