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EU Commission finds treatment of Gaza flotilla activists unacceptable

By Thomson Reuters May 20, 2026 | 2:36 PM

BRUSSELS, May 20 (Reuters) – The European Commission found the treatment of the Gaza flotilla ​activists shown in a ‌video released by Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is “completely unacceptable”, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

“Every detained ‌person ​must be treated ⁠with safety, dignity ⁠and according to international law,” spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said in a post on X. “We ​call on the Israeli government to ensure the protection ⁠and dignified treatment ⁠of these activists, including ​several EU citizens,” he added.

Israeli ​police forced activists who were aboard ‌a Gaza-bound aid flotilla to kneel on the ground in rows with their hands ⁠tied behind their backs while Ben-Gvir looked on, drawing criticism from foreign ⁠leaders ‌and even from inside ⁠Israel’s own government.

The activists ​were ‌detained after their flotilla ​was intercepted ⁠by Israeli forces in international waters on Tuesday and later taken to an Israeli port.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro, Editing by ​Franklin Paul)