By Pesach Benson • May 20, 2026
Jerusalem, 20 May, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday criticized National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after footage was released showing him taunting detained participants from a Gaza-bound flotilla. Netanyahu defended Israel’s right to block the vessels but said the Minister’s conduct crossed acceptable norms.
“Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza. However, the way that Minister Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms,” Netanyahu said.
The Prime Minister added that he had instructed relevant authorities to deport the detainees “as soon as possible.”
Israeli Navy forces intercepted more than 50 vessels and detained over 400 activists as they attempted to reach Gaza. At Ashdod port, Ben-Gvir accompanied police and Israel Prison Service units during the processing of detainees.
“The camp is over, whoever acts against the State of Israel will find a resolute state, the people of Israel are alive,” he said. Waving an Israeli flag in released footage, he added, “They came with a lot of pride… look how they look now,” referring to activists on the ground, whom he described as “supporters of terror.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who was in Prague for talks with Czech leaders, warned that Ben-Gvir’s actions had damaged Israel’s international standing at a sensitive moment.
“You knowingly caused harm to our state in this disgraceful display — and not for the first time,” Sa’ar said. “You have undone tremendous, professional and successful efforts made by so many people — from IDF soldiers to Foreign Ministry staff and many others.” He added: “You are not the face of Israel.”
Ben-Gvir rejected the criticism, accusing Sa’ar and other officials of weakness and of failing to confront groups he described as hostile actors. “Israel’s foreign minister is expected to understand that Israel has stopped being a punching bag,” he said. “Anyone who comes onto our territory to support terrorism and identify with Hamas will get hit back — we will not turn the other cheek.”
In April, Defense Minister Israel Katz imposed sanctions on a crowdfunding campaign connected to the flotilla, saying the operation was linked to Hamas and accusing organizers of using humanitarian claims as cover.
Documents recovered in Gaza and released in September by Israel’s Foreign Ministry indicated Hamas involvement in organizing and financing the Sumud flotilla aimed at challenging the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Israel and Egypt have maintained restrictions on Gaza since 2007, following Hamas’s takeover of the territory, citing security concerns and the prevention of weapons smuggling. Since then, activists have periodically organized flotillas attempting to challenge the blockade.
In 2011, a United Nations inquiry into the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident concluded that Israeli forces used excessive force during the boarding of the vessel, while also upholding the legality of the naval blockade under international law.
