European officials slam Israel's treatment of Gaza flotilla activists as 'unacceptable'

Officials across Europe have slammed Israel's treatment of activists arrested from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla after a senior Israeli minister posted a video of them bound and forced to kneel.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for the immediate release of any detained Italian citizens and demanded an apology from Israel.

"It is intolerable that these protesters, among whom there are many Italian citizens, are subjected to this treatment, which violates human dignity," Meloni said in a statement, referring to the video posted by far-right national Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

"Italy also demands an apology for the treatment inflicted on these demonstrators and for the total disregard shown towards the explicit requests of the Italian government," Meloni said.

The video posted by Ben Gvir showed activists kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs and foreheads on the ground.

The footage, published on Ben Gvir's X account and captioned "Welcome to Israel", shows dozens of activists on the deck of a military boat with the Israeli national anthem blaring, and in detention in Israel, where the firebrand minister is seen waving an Israeli flag.

The video was also slammed by France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who said he had requested Israel’s ambassador to France be summoned.

"The safety of our compatriots is a constant priority," he wrote in a post on X.

"Whatever one thinks of this flotilla—and we have indicated on several occasions our disapproval of this initiative—our compatriots who are participating in it must be treated with respect and released as quickly as possible."

Spain's top diplomat condemned the treatment of the activists as "monstrous."

"That treatment is monstrous, disgraceful and inhumane," Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in Berlin in a recording shared with the media, adding that Israel's charge d'affaires in Madrid had been summoned in protest.