SPAIN PERSPECTIVE

Madrid, May 22, 2026. Approximately 430 international activists arrested during the Israeli interception of the humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza have been expelled in an emergency after a series of revelations about the violence suffered in detention. Spanish press, led by HuffPost España, draws a striking picture: blows, humiliations, and sexual abuse in what the victims themselves describe as a "place of terror".

Testimonies have been accumulating since the activists' return to their soil. Italian journalist Alessandro Mantovani described transfers in handcuffs and feet, accompanied by kicks and punches, with the cry of "welcome to Israel". MEP Dario Carotenuto returned with a visible hematoma on the eye. South Korean activists, Kim Ah-hyun and Kim Dong-hyeon, spoke of "torture" and "unbearable violence". Human rights organization Adalah documented cases where women were forced to undress in front of guards who mocked them. At least 15 cases of sexual abuse have been recorded by the flotilla organizers, including alleged rapes. Israel, through its prison service, denies all these accusations.

What triggered the diplomatic crisis is the publication of a video posted on social media by Israeli Minister of National Security, ultranationalist Itamar Ben-Gvir. It shows dozens of activists on their knees, hands tied behind their backs with zip ties, while Ben-Gvir mocks them. The minister publicly demanded their transfer to prisons reserved for "terrorists". The dissemination of these images triggered ambassador summonses in several European capitals, including Madrid.

The fracture within the Israeli government is now visible. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar denounced on X a "irreparable damage" caused by Ben-Gvir: "You are not the face of Israel," he wrote. Benjamin Netanyahu, while defending the legality of the naval blockade and interception, took a distance from his minister's communication, ordering an accelerated expulsion of all detainees.

Spanish coverage points out what it perceives as the insufficiency of Western responses: although governments have protested vigorously, the European Union has not suspended its association agreement with Israel. Member states have, however, engaged in discussions on potential individual sanctions against Ben-Gvir.