Italy Investigates Israeli Defense Minister and Officials Over Alleged Abuse of Flotilla Activists

Italian prosecutors have initiated an investigation into Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and 12 high-ranking military, police, and prison officials. This probe expands upon an earlier inquiry that focused on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, concerning the treatment of activists detained during solidarity missions to Gaza. The Rome prosecutors’ office announced on Friday that the investigation encompasses alleged acts of torture, kidnapping, personal injury, robbery, and damage. These accusations stem from the interception of activist boats by Israeli forces en route to Gaza in 2025 and 2026.

The investigation was launched following complaints filed by 50 Italian citizens who were detained during two Global Sumud Flotilla missions last year and this year. Among the officials named as suspects is Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir. According to prosecutors, activists detained after the first mission in 2025 reported experiencing beatings, injuries, death threats, insults, and accusations of terrorism. Those on the second mission in 2026 reported even more severe treatment, including beatings in darkness, and the use of tasers and rubber bullets, as detailed in the statement. The activists also reported at least 15 instances of sexual assault, including rape.

Luca Poggi, an Italian economist who was detained, recounted to Reuters news agency in May: “We were stripped, thrown to the ground, kicked.” In June, Ben-Gvir dismissed the investigation, stating he would “continue to stand proudly alongside” Israeli soldiers. Flotilla organizers assert that their objective is to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza by delivering humanitarian aid.

What prompted the case

The inaugural Global Sumud Flotilla departed from Barcelona in September 2025, comprising 42 boats and 462 activists. Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla in international waters in early October of that year, leading to the detention and subsequent deportation of hundreds of activists. The second mission set sail from Barcelona in April 2026. Israeli forces began intercepting these vessels near the southern Greek island of Crete on April 30. By May 19, approximately 430 individuals on around 50 ships had been detained in international waters, with the final interceptions occurring off the coast of Cyprus.

Subsequently, Ben-Gvir posted a video depicting him taunting activists who were cable-tied and kneeling at a makeshift prison in the port of Ashdod, while Israel’s national anthem played. Prosecutors confirmed they submitted a request for judicial assistance to Israel in June, seeking information to reconstruct the events and establish individual responsibility, but did not disclose whether Israel had responded. They have also engaged in discussions with Eurojust, the EU’s judicial cooperation agency, as similar investigations are underway in other European countries. Italian law permits the prosecution in Rome of crimes committed abroad against Italian citizens. Should the investigation find the charges to be warranted, prosecutors could formally request a trial.