Flotilla, Italians detained in Libya: 'Treated like illegal immigrants'

"A terrible process of despondency is creeping into the margins of Israeli society. It is a slow and worrying process that threatens to become an integral part of Israeli society, and we will not allow it'. This was stated by Israeli President Itzhak Herzog during the ceremony to award the 'Jerusalem Unity Prize 2026'. "There are fringes of our society that have normalised violence and, unfortunately, there are those who celebrate it and boast about it," Herzog added, referring to the "terrible wave of violence perpetrated by lawless gangs" in the West Bank and acts of desecration of Christian and Muslim symbols, as well as "brutal acts perpetrated by a handful of people who think that detainees, interrogators or suspects have no human rights".

Il presidente israeliano Itzhak Herzog: «Un terribile processo di abbrutimento si sta insinuando ai margini della società israeliana». Il ministro della Sicurezza Nazionale israeliana Itamar Ben Gvir: «Herzog è indegno di essere presidente»

"Red lines must be drawn: it is forbidden to mistreat prisoners, however despicable they may be. It is forbidden to take justice upon oneself. It is forbidden to harm people of other faiths and their symbols. And we cannot tolerate this brutality that is emerging from the margins of our society and that threatens us all," Herzog concluded.

Close on the heels of Itamar Ben Gvir's response: 'A president of a country that calls hundreds of thousands of citizens of the State of Israel animals is not worthy of being president. Full stop," the Minister of National Security wrote on X.

Il post su X del X ministro della Sicurezza Nazionale israeliano Itamar Ben Gvir (traduzione automatica di X, ndr)

At the attention of the prosecutors of the Rome Public Prosecutor's Office investigating the arrests of the Italian activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla are a dozen names from the Israeli chain of command contained in the list drawn up by the Hind Rajab Foundation, the organisation that collects complaints on war crimes, which was acquired through the Flotilla's legal team.

Under scrutiny are the possible responsibilities of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and other military officials, also in light of the testimonies of returned activists and the material collected. This includes the video where Ben-Gvir, circulated on his own social channels and filmed in the port of Ashdod, where participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla are seen, mocked, on their knees with their hands handcuffed behind their backs.

In addition to seizure, the magistrates are also considering torture and sexual violence. And in the investigation delegation entrusted to the Ros carabinieri, in addition to the hearing of the activists, the acquisition of any images from the devices that may be useful to the investigation is also envisaged. At Piazzale Clodio other files are already open on the Flotilla's previous missions. The last one was opened after the complaints arrived following the boarding by the Israeli authorities against the boats that left on 26 April from Sicily and stopped on the night of 29 April in international waters near the island of Crete.

Another case had been opened after Italian activists and parliamentarians who were on board the Global Sumud Flotilla vessels last October were detained near the Gaza coast by Israeli forces and then repatriated. In this context, the magistrates in recent weeks asked for a rogatory to be sent to Israel.

Meanwhile, the IDF rejects allegations that soldiers abused Flotilla activists "during operations to protect the legally established naval security blockade". "The orders of the IDF provide for respectful and appropriate treatment of flotilla members on board intercepted vessels, there are clear and established procedures. We are not aware of any specific incidents of violation of these binding procedures within the IDF. Any concrete complaints will be fully investigated'. This was stated by the Idf spokesperson's unit, explaining that at the port of Ashdod, the activists were guarded by Prison Service personnel and police.

Giuseppina Branca, the 79-year-old nurse from Cannero (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola) who is on the Gaza-bound ground convoy through North Africa, returned home on Sunday. Some friends told Ansa: 'Giugi came back yesterday, thank goodness', adding: 'We hope the ten arrested in Libya will be released'. Branca, a volunteer in the Gaza Land Flotilla, 'had been stuck for days near Sirte, Libya', they recall. "Welcome home!" Announcing her return between Saturday and Sunday had been her husband. "She has already been in the Negev prison last autumn," he had explained, "she cannot return to Israel. The situation was expected, she is an expert and that is why organisations call her on these missions'. According to the man, at the end of the negotiations, one delegation - "a bus with doctors and nurses carrying medicine and food" - had been allowed to cross the border between the Tripoli government area and the area controlled by Haftar's militias, to continue towards Gaza. "The others, who were also carrying materials for mobile homes and prefabricated constructions, must return to Tripoli," he concluded.

"Let our communities be homes of peace and non-violence", "let us also take advantage of summer activities to promote peace education. I thank all the parents, priests, educators, trainers who reserve energy to grow a true culture of peace that welcomes and shares', 'not fear, but trust is the fertile ground. And I thank those who, even paying in person with blackmail, abuse and violence, show concrete solidarity in the enormous suffering of peoples affected by violence and wars'. So says the president of the Cei, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, opening the work of the General Assembly.