00:14A new controversy is exploding online after Israeli National Security Minister Itamar
00:22Ben-Givir released videos mocking detained Gaza flotilla activists following Israel's
00:29interception of aid vessels headed toward Gaza.
00:32Italy's Prime Minister, Georgia Maloney, reportedly summoned the Israeli ambassador, demanding
00:38an apology over viral footage showing Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Givir mocking detained
00:45Gaza flotilla activists.
00:47The footage comes as at least 87 detained activists have now launched a hunger strike in protest
00:53against what organizers are calling an illegal abduction by Israeli forces.
00:58And the videos are now triggering outrage across social media and international political circles.
01:05According to the Global Samud Flotilla Movement, the activists were onboard vessels attempting
01:11to symbolically challenge Israel's blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.
01:16The final remaining ship, the Lina al-Nabulsi, was intercepted after Israeli forces began
01:23stopping flotilla boats in international waters near Cyprus.
01:27Israeli authorities say around 430 activists from 44 nationalities were taken into custody.
01:33But what has intensified the backlash is the conduct seen in videos shared directly by Ben-Givir
01:39himself.
01:40In one clip, Ben-Givir walks among restrained detainees lying on the ground and says,
01:46Welcome to Israel.
01:48We are the owners of this house.
01:50Another video shows a female activist being forcefully thrown to the ground after shouting
01:55Free Palestine while officers ordered her to stay quiet.
01:59Ben-Givir later mocked the activists further, saying,
02:02They came with a lot of arrogance.
02:04Look how they look now.
02:06Not heroes at all, but supporters of terrorism.
02:08The remarks immediately sparked condemnation online, with critics accusing Israel of humiliating
02:14unarmed civilian activists detained at sea.
02:18Meanwhile, the flotilla organizers announced that dozens of detainees have now started a
02:22hunger strike.
02:23The movement says the strike is in protest of what they call illegal detention, and in
02:28solidarity with more than 9,500 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
02:32Legal rights organization Adala also accused Israel of violating international law by
02:38intercepting civilian humanitarian vessels in international waters and forcefully transferring
02:43activists into Israeli territory.
02:45Several countries, including Turkey, Spain, Jordan, Pakistan, Brazil, and Indonesia have now
02:52condemned the interceptions.
02:53But Israel's foreign ministry has dismissed the flotilla mission as nothing more than a
02:58PR stunt.
02:58The incident is now rapidly becoming another flashpoint in the global debate over Gaza, humanitarian
03:04access, and Israel's wartime conduct.
03:07And with hunger strikes underway and viral videos spreading worldwide, pressure is continuing to
03:12grow on Israel over the treatment of the detained activists.
03:15Have a great day.
03:17Do not look at them.
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