Italian prosecutors have launched an investigation into Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over his treatment of activists from a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla during their detention, ANSA news agency reported on Monday.
The probe, led by the Rome Prosecutor’s Office, focuses on the actions of Itamar Ben-Gvir toward activists while they were being held at the Port of Ashdod with their hands tied behind their backs.
The investigators are also examining the wider conduct of Israeli authorities during the boarding and detention of the activists, including several Italian nationals.
Prosecutors are reportedly assessing allegations that include claims of torture and kidnapping.
Earlier, Rome prosecutors opened a separate investigation into the detention of Italian nationals during Israel's interception of a Gaza aid flotilla in international waters off Greece in April, following three formal complaints.
The latest Israeli attack on the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian flotilla in international waters happened in mid-May. Live broadcasts from the flotilla showed Israeli naval forces intercepting the vessels.
International backlash
A video later circulated by Israeli authorities showing Ben-Gvir walking among detained activists who were kneeling in tightly packed formations while zip-tied, drawing widespread global criticism.
Ben-Gvir appeared in the footage waving an Israeli flag and taunting detainees. All activists were later released following international backlash.
Ben-Gvir, one of the most extreme figures in Israel's wartime cabinet and a convicted inciter of racism, has been a vocal cheerleader for Israel's genocidal war on Gaza and a fierce opponent of any humanitarian access to the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The Gaza Freedom Flotilla, carrying aid and international activists bound for Gaza, was stormed by Israeli naval forces in international waters — an act widely condemned as a violation of international law.
Survivors of Israel's violent seizure of the Global Sumud Flotilla — in which 430 aid workers aboard 50 ships were detained in international waters — have described systematic abuse at the hands of Israeli forces, including rape, tasering and beatings.
The Italian investigation marks one of the most significant legal challenges yet to Israeli officials over their conduct during the Gaza genocide, and signals a growing willingness among European judicial authorities to hold Israeli leaders accountable.
