At least 87 Gaza-bound flotilla activists detained by Israel have launched a hunger strike in protest of their abduction and detention conditions, as Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir circulated footage of himself taunting restrained detainees held on the ground after the flotilla’s interception in international waters.
The activists, from the Global Sumud Flotilla , announced the hunger strike late on Tuesday after Israeli forces seized the Lina al-Nabulsi, the final remaining vessel attempting to reach Gaza, and detained six activists onboard.
Footage published by Ben-Gvir on Wednesday showed him walking among detainees restrained on the ground while shouting: "Welcome to Israel, we are the owners of this house."
Another clip showed a female activist being violently thrown to the ground after chanting "Free Palestine", while an Israeli officer was heard telling her to "be quiet".
"They came with a lot of arrogance. Look how they look now. Not heroes at all, but supporters of terrorism," Ben-Gvir said in the footage, while calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to keep the activists imprisoned "for a much longer period".
The Global Sumud Flotilla said the detainees began the hunger strike "in protest of their illegal abduction and in solidarity with the over 9,500 Palestinian hostages held in Israeli dungeons".
"We demand all hostages of the Israeli regime to be released," the movement added, urging governments to "speak out against this act of piracy".
The Lina al-Nabulsi was the last of more than 50 vessels that departed from the Turkish port city of Marmaris last week as part of a campaign aimed at challenging Israel’s blockade on Gaza and delivering symbolic humanitarian aid.
Israeli forces began intercepting and seizing boats from the flotilla in international waters off the coast of Cyprus on Monday, with organisers accusing Israeli troops of raiding vessels, firing rubber bullets and abducting participants.
At least 428 activists from 44 nationalities taking part in the flotilla have now been abducted by Israel, according to organisers.
Among those detained are 15 Irish citizens, including Margaret Connolly, a doctor and the sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly.
Adalah, the Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, said the activists had been forcibly transferred to Ashdod after being intercepted in international waters.
“Having set sail toward Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid and challenge the unlawful blockade, these civilian participants were forcefully abducted from international waters and taken into Israeli territory against their will,” the organisation said.
Adalah added that intercepting civilian vessels in international waters and blocking humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza constituted "grave violations of international law".
Israel's foreign ministry confirmed late on Tuesday that around 430 flotilla participants had been transferred to Israeli custody, dismissing the mission as "nothing more than a PR stunt".
Several countries, including Turkiye, Spain, Jordan, Pakistan, Brazil and Indonesia, condemned the interceptions as violations of international law.