Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez speaks out as 44 Spanish Global Sumud volunteers are released

Israel is reported to begin releasing a number of Global Sumud Flotilla 2.0 volunteers today, Israeli time. This move follows a strong rebuke from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez over the treatment of the volunteers. Sánchez condemned a video showing Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir “humiliating” the flotilla participants, calling the act excessive and unacceptable. “We will not tolerate anyone harming our citizens,” he wrote on X. He reaffirmed the nationwide ban against Ben-Gvir that he announced in September. “We will now push Brussels to escalate this sanction to a European scale,” he added. Not long after the rebuke, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced that 44 Spanish activists abducted by Israel would be deported to Spain via Turkey on a flight scheduled to depart at 15:00, Thursday (21 May 2026) Palestinian time. On Wednesday, Albares condemned Israel’s behaviour towards the flotilla activists, calling Ben-Gvir’s treatment “horrific, undignified, and shameful.” The flotilla was intercepted by the Israeli Navy on Tuesday night, with 428 participants from more than 40 countries detained. About 90 activists in detention began a hunger strike, according to Global Sumud Flotilla. On Wednesday, Ben-Gvir shared a video of himself taunting the detained flotilla activists in Ashdod, prompting international condemnation and protests by some countries, including Spain. EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas also condemned the video showing Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir mocking the activists as they were forced to kneel on the floor with their hands tied behind their backs, describing the treatment as “demeaning and wrong” and saying that it is not appropriate for anyone holding office in a democracy. Several countries – including Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Canada – have summoned Israel’s ambassadors to express their “outrage” at Israel’s treatment of Gaza flotilla activists.