Outrage after Israeli minister taunts Gaza flotilla activists
Newshour
BBC
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 21 May 2026
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
There has been international condemnation of Israel's treatment of pro-Palestinian activists who were on board a Gaza-bound aid flotilla intercepted by Israeli naval forces. Also on the programme: the first case of Ebola has been announced in the rebel-held territory in eastern Congo; and an online political group in India called The Cockroach Janta Party has amassed nearly 15 million followers on Instagram in less than a week.
(Photo: Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, gather at a port before their departure in the southern Turkish resort of Marmaris, Turkey on May 14, 2026. Credit: Reuters)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:09.6 | Hello and welcome to NewsAff in the BBC World Service. |
| 0:13.2 | We're coming to you live from London. |
| 0:15.0 | I'm James Menendez. |
| 0:16.4 | And our top story today takes us to Israel |
| 0:18.7 | and the fate of about 400 international activists who were on board a flotilla of boats trying to break Israel's maritime blockade of Gaza and deliver aid. |
| 0:28.7 | They were intercepted by the Israeli Navy in international waters, not far from Cyprus. |
| 0:33.2 | And eventually all those on board were taken to the port of Ashdod, where they were to await deportation. |
| 0:40.1 | But not before an international row broke out over their treatment |
| 0:44.6 | at the hands of the authorities and the minister in charge, |
| 0:47.6 | the National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gavir of the far-right Jewish Power Party, |
| 0:53.2 | part of Israel's governing coalition. |
| 0:57.5 | They came with much pride as big heroes. Look, see how they look now. Look, look at how they look |
| 1:05.4 | now. Not heroes and not anything. Terror supporters. I tell Prime Minister Netanyahu, give them to me for much more |
| 1:13.5 | time. Give them to us for the terrorist prisons. This is how it should look. Well, in that video that |
| 1:20.2 | Mr. Ben-Gavir himself posted on social media, he's seen at a detention facility encouraging the security |
| 1:27.0 | guards as they push a female activists |
| 1:29.4 | chanting free Palestine to the ground. |
| 1:33.2 | He also then waves a large Israeli flag in front of dozens of activists kneeling with their hands |
| 1:37.6 | tied behind their backs, telling them, welcome to Israel. |
| 1:41.1 | We are the masters. |
| 1:43.0 | Well, the video has prompted widespread criticism internationally and within Israel. Let's speak to our correspondent, Amir, who's in Jerusalem. And Amir, we'll get on to the criticism at the moment because there's been a development in terms of what's happened to the activists and their deportations. Just bring us up to date. |
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