ANKARA

The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza on Friday denounced Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after a video showed him confronting Global Sumud Flotilla activists detained in international waters and calling them “terrorists.”

In a statement on the US social media company X, the committee said it was “not surprising for the criminals of genocide to send out their minister, swaggering before activists from 50 countries around the world, surrounded by his guards.”

“What is surprising,” the committee added, “is that despite holding control of the image at that moment, they could not record more than 25 seconds without hearing the chant ‘Freedom for Palestine’ from the participants.”

The group said the activists’ chants “shattered the ears” of Ben-Gvir and praised the detainees for showing the same defiance and resilience they demonstrated throughout their month-long voyage toward Gaza.

“Freedom for Palestine. Stop the genocide. Break the siege,” the committee said.

On Thursday, Israeli forces attacked the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters, seizing most of the 44 boats and detaining more than 450 activists from around the world. The flotilla was attempting to challenge Israel’s blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.

Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed over 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. UN agencies and rights groups have repeatedly warned that Gaza is being rendered uninhabitable, with starvation and disease spreading rapidly.