Itamar Ben Gvir was criticised by politicians in both Israel and around the world for the ‘unacceptable’ treatment of the activists
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenAssociated PressPublished: 10:06pm, 20 May 2026Detained activists from a flotilla of boats that tried to get past Israel’s blockade of Gaza arrived in the port city of Ashdod aboard Israeli naval ships on Wednesday, as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir told them that they should remain in prison for a “long, long time.”Video released by Ben-Gvir showed the minister walking among some of the around 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.
The video showed activists with their hands tied behind their back 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.
