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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called Israel’s treatment of detained Gaza flotilla activists “abominable,” adding that Israel’s ambassador will be summoned to Ottawa after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shared a video taunting them.
The activists were forced to kneel on the ground in rows with their hands tied behind their backs and their heads touching the floor, footage shows.
In the video, the activists appear to be inside a makeshift detention area at Ashdod port and on the deck of a ship.
“What we’ve seen, including the video shared by [Ben-Gvir], is deeply troubling and absolutely unacceptable,” Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told reporters on a conference call. “This is a matter we take very, very seriously. It’s a matter of humane treatment of civilians, and I can assure you that we are acting with absolute urgency.”
Carney said officials will “demand assurances regarding the safety and security of Canadians involved.” Global Sumud Canada says 12 Canadians who were aboard the flotilla have all been detained, as of Tuesday.
“The protection of civilians and respect for human dignity must be upheld everywhere, at all times,” Carney said in a post on X, noting that Canada imposed sanctions on Ben-Gvir last year, over repeated incitements of violence against Palestinian communities.
In the released video, the Israeli far-right minister appears to be taunting and telling detained activists from a flotilla of boats that tried to get past Israel’s blockade of Gaza they should remain in prison for a “long, long time.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Canada summoned Israel’s ambassador over the ‘mistreatment of civilians’ aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. Anand said a video posted by Israel’s national security minister in which he appears to taunt detained activists is ‘deeply troubling and absolutely unacceptable.’
The activists were aboard a flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters earlier this week. The Israeli naval ships carrying the activists arrived in the port city of Ashdod on Wednesday.
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.”
Video showed Ben-Gvir walking among some of the approximately 430 detained activists flanked by police and soldiers as he waved a large Israeli flag and told them “Welcome to Israel, we are the landlords.”
One handcuffed activist shown in the video shouting “Free Palestine” as Ben-Gvir was walking past was immediately pushed to the ground by security personnel.
International backlash
Canada joined Italy, France and the Netherlands in summoning Israeli ambassadors over the treatment of the detained activists in the video.
“The images shared by extremist Minister Ben-Gvir of detained flotilla activists are shocking and unacceptable,” Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen said on Wednesday in a post on X.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said French citizens must be treated with respect and freed as soon as possible, though he added that he opposed the flotilla’s approach.
Italy strongly condemned the detained activists’ treatment as a violation of human dignity and called images involving Ben-Gvir “unacceptable.”
The Italian government said it’s taking urgent action at the top official levels to secure the speedy release of Italian citizens among the detainees and is demanding an official apology for what it said was Israel’s disregard of explicit requests.
U.K.’s foreign minister Yvette Cooper said she was “truly appalled” by the video, adding that British officials are in contact with the families of several British nationals involved and was providing consular support. Cooper did not indicate if she will summon its Israeli ambassador.
Hamas called out Ben-Gvir for the “scenes of abuse and humiliation” of the activists, describing it as an expression of Israel’s “moral decadence and sadism.”
Rights group accuses Israel of ill treatment
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 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 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.
Ben-Gvir’s remarks also triggered a backlash even among his fellow government ministers. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar publicly chastised Ben-Gvir, posting on X 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.”
“No, you are not the face of Israel,” Sa’ar wrote.
Israel forces opened fire on at least two vessels in an aid flotilla sailing toward Gaza. At least 11 Canadians on board have been detained by Israeli authorities. The ships had set sail from Turkey for a third time to deliver aid, after earlier attempts were stopped by Israel. Global Affairs Canada says it was unaware that Canadians were involved and is monitoring the situation.
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.
Israel intercepts boats in international waters
Flotilla organizers claimed Israeli soldiers fired on five boats during the interdictions, causing some damage. Israel’s foreign ministry said that no live ammunition was fired and that “non-lethal means” were aimed at the vessels as a warning, but without targeting or injuring protesters.
Israeli forces had begun stopping the flotilla around 268 kilometres from the Gaza coastline, according to the flotilla’s website. The vessels departed last week from Turkey.
On Monday, the Israeli navy stopped 41 boats from the flotilla in international waters off Cyprus and detained those on board.
More than a dozen Irish nationals were aboard the flotilla, including the sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin has called Israel’s interception of the boats in international waters “absolutely unacceptable.”
Israeli forces have begun boarding vessels from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in international waters off Cyprus, organizers say. The Global Sumud Flotilla, an international movement heading the mission, says its fleet was ‘violently intercepted’ and its volunteers were ‘abducted’ by Israel. The storming of the vessels comes as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to threaten Iran to secure a peace deal ending their war.
Turkey and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have called the interdictions an act of “piracy.” Italy, Spain and Indonesia called on Israel to release activists and ensure their safety.
The U.S. Treasury, however, imposed sanctions on Tuesday against several European activists aboard the flotilla, which U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called “pro-terror.”
Israel has maintained a sea blockade of Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007. Israeli authorities intensified it after the Hamas-led militant attacks on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, according to its tallies.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says that Israel’s retaliatory offensive following the Oct. 7 attacks has killed more than 72,700 people.
Critics say the blockade amounts to collective punishment. Israel has said that the blockade is intended to prevent Hamas from arming itself. Egypt, which has the only border crossing with Gaza not controlled by Israel, has also greatly restricted movement in and out.
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