From Italy to South Korea, Leaders and Foreign Ministers Condemn the Torture of Global Sumud Activists

ROME – A number of heads of state and foreign ministers from world nations launched condemnations of the torture of Global Sumud Flotilla 2.0 participants by Israeli authorities. They urged their nationals to be released. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the images and videos posted by Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir were ‘unacceptable.’ She also demanded the release of all Italian citizens involved, along with an apology for the abuse and an expression of ‘total disdain’ for the Italian government. ‘It is not acceptable that these demonstrators, including many Italians, endure treatment that violates human dignity,’ Meloni said in a lengthy statement posted on social media. Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Albero described the treatment as ‘horrific, shameful and inhumane.’ His British counterpart, Yvette Cooper, said on social media that she was ‘truly shocked’ by the video, which ‘violates the most basic standards of respect and dignity in the way people should be treated,’ and added that she has contact with several families of UK nationals detained by Israel. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters condemned Ben-Gvir’s conduct and instructed his department to summon the Israeli ambassador so that his ‘serious concerns’ could be conveyed directly. Peters said New Zealand had imposed travel bans on Ben-Gvir in 2025 because ‘deliberately and gravely undermining peace and security, and eroding prospects for a two-state solution.’ ‘His latest behaviour in relation to the Gaza flotilla, which had been seriously criticised by his own prime minister, is another condemnation of his stance.’ South Korean President Lee Jae Myung condemned Israel’s actions, characterising them as ‘out of bounds,’ and questioning the legal basis for arrests outside Israel’s territorial waters. More than 400 activists from 40 countries, travelling on 50 ships, took part in the flotilla, organisers said. The flotilla departed from Turkey carrying food and other aid, in a bid to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza.