Italy and France have denounced as unacceptable the treatment of pro-Palestinian activists who were on board a Gaza-bound aid flotilla intercepted by Israeli naval forces near Cyprus.
Both countries summoned Israel's ambassadors after far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video showing himself taunting activists detained at the port of Ashdod.
His actions prompted rare criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said they were not in line with Israel's values.
A rights group representing the 430 participants from more than 40 countries who took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) has demanded their immediate release.
The flotilla, which carried a token amount of aid, set out to highlight the tough conditions for Palestinians in war-torn Gaza. Israel dismissed it as a PR stunt at the service of Hamas.
More than 50 boats taking part in the flotilla set sail from Turkey last Thursday. On Monday morning, armed Israeli naval commandos began intercepting the fleet in international waters west of Cyprus, about 250 nautical miles (460km) from the coast of Gaza, which is under an Israeli maritime blockade.
The GSF's organisers said all the boats had been intercepted by Tuesday evening, with one managing to get within 80 nautical miles of the Palestinian territory.
They accused Israel of an illegal, high-seas aggression and said Israeli commandos had opened fire at six boats, used water cannon, and intentionally rammed one vessel. The Israeli foreign ministry said no live ammunition was used and insisted it would not permit any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza.
On Wednesday morning, Israeli rights group Adalah said the activists were being taken into Israeli territory entirely against their will and detained at Ashdod port.
Ben-Gvir posted a video on social media, captioned Welcome to Israel, which showed him visiting a detention facility where the activists are being held. He is seen encouraging security personnel as they push down a female activist who shouts Free, Free, Palestine as he walks past her.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the video unacceptable and demanded an apology. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also stated Ben Gvir's actions were unacceptable, asserting that the nationalities involved deserved respect.
Adalah stated that the footage demonstrated that Israel was employing a criminal policy of abuse and humiliation against activists.
In an unusual step, Israel's foreign minister joined the condemnation of his cabinet colleague, stating, You knowingly caused harm to our state in this disgraceful display - and not for the first time. Ben-Gvir responded, stating, The foreign minister is expected to understand that Israel has stopped being a pushover.
Ben-Gvir said, Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza, while Netanyahu stated that the approach taken by Ben-Gvir was inappropriate for the country’s values.
The GSF insisted that the activists were simply bringing necessary humanitarian aid to Gaza, where conditions remain dire.
