Overview
- Italian prosecutors placed National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir under investigation on Monday, June 8, on suspicion of torture and kidnapping of Italian nationals detained after Israel intercepted the Global Sumud flotilla.
- The inquiry makes Italy the second European state to launch a formal probe after France opened an inquiry into possible war crimes and has barred Ben‑Gvir from its territory.
- The case centers on video Ben‑Gvir posted showing detainees kneeling with hands bound and on returned activists’ accounts of beatings, stress positions and alleged sexual assault, claims the Israel Prison Service denies.
- Ben‑Gvir publicly rejected and ridiculed the investigations and said he would stand with security forces, while some Israeli officials have privately criticized his conduct as harming Israel’s interests.
- Rights groups and lawyers have asked the International Criminal Court to include the flotilla incidents in its Palestine probe and the EU is weighing measures that could include travel bans or sanctions, which could widen legal and diplomatic fallout.