Source: Radio New Zealand
Boats decorated with Palestinian flags and solidarity messages depart from the port in Marmaris, Turkey, on May 14. (File photo) AFP / Murat Kocabas
A global pro-Palestinian movement says three New Zealanders have been detained by Israel after their boats were intercepted while taking part in a flotilla to Gaza.
A video posted by Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, showing him taunting detained flotilla activists, drew international condemnation on Thursday.
The video showed kneeling activists, with their hands zip tied, while Ben-Gvir shouted “they came as big heroes, see how they look now… not heroes, nothing, terror supporters”.
Ben-Gvir also said he’s told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “give them to me for more much time, give them to us for the terrorist prisons, this is how it should look”.
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. (File photo) AFP / Menahem Kahana
He posted the video with the caption “welcome to Israel”.
The Global Sumud Flotilla had repeatedly tried to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Palestinian territory.
In a statement, the group said New Zealanders Mousa Taher, Hāhona Ormsby and Julien Blondel were now in Israeli custody.
It said Mousa and Julien had returned to the flotilla after an earlier interception.
RNZ approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) for comment.
Netanyahu responded to the video with a statement posted to social media that said “Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza”.
“However, the way that Minister Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms.”
Netanyahu said he had “instructed the relevant authorities to deport the provocateurs as soon as possible”.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (File photo) AFP / Pool
In a previous statement provided to RNZ earlier this month, MFAT said it understood up to six New Zealanders had been caught up in the interception and it was aware of allegations made about the treatment of New Zealanders in custody.
Consular officials in New Zealand and Europe had been working to get information and support the New Zealanders involved, it said.
“The New Zealand government made it clear to Israel that the safety of New Zealanders involved was paramount and that international law must be upheld,” the previous statement said.
New Zealand had a long-standing ‘do not travel’ advisory in place for Gaza, explicitly warning against any attempt to enter by sea, MFAT said.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/21/new-zealanders-detained-by-israel-while-taking-part-in-flotilla-to-gaza-activists-say/