Rasa Evrensel
21 May 2026•Update: 21 May 2026
The top representative of the Board of Peace overseeing the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip said Thursday that Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's "insulting mockery" of detained Sumud aid flotilla activists is "unacceptable and shameful."
"I join the universal condemnation of Minister Ben-Gvir for his undignified taunting of detained activists," Nickolay Mladenov wrote on US social media company X.
It came after footage shared by Ben-Gvir showed activists zip-tied and forced to kneel following their detention by Israeli forces in international waters.
Mladenov said that "these abhorrent acts distract from the urgent work of implementing US President Donald Trump's Comprehensive Plan for Gaza, advancing reconstruction for Palestinians, and ensuring security for Israel."
"Everyone must end the theatrics and focus on results," he added.
The Global Sumud humanitarian aid flotilla said Tuesday that all 50 vessels in its convoy had been seized by Israel following attacks in international waters.
The flotilla, carrying 428 people from 44 countries, departed last Thursday from the Turkish district of Marmaris in a new attempt to break the illegal Israeli blockade that has been imposed on Gaza since 2007.
Although a ceasefire was reached in Gaza last October, humanitarian access has failed to improve conditions in the enclave, and deadly Israeli attacks have continued. Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 881 people have been killed and 2,621 injured since the truce took effect.
The agreement was intended to halt Israel’s two-year genocidal war on Gaza, which has killed more than 72,000 people, most of them women and children, injured over 172,000 since October 2023, and caused widespread destruction affecting around 90% of the civilian infrastructure.
