October 18, 2026
The Italian Public Prosecution announced today, Friday, the inclusion of Israeli Security Minister Yisrael Katz, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and a number of other senior officials, in judicial investigations related to suspicions of their involvement in crimes including torture, kidnapping, causing bodily injury, and theft.
According to Reuters, these investigations were launched in response to official complaints submitted by 50 Italian citizens who were detained during their participation in the “Global Resilience Fleet” missions during the years 2025 and 2026.
In addition to Katz and Zamir, the investigation includes prominent leaders in the Israeli police and prison services, in addition to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who was previously included in the investigations.
The roots of the case go back to May 18, when the Israeli Navy intercepted and seized the ships of the “Freedom Flotilla” heading from Turkey towards the Gaza Strip, invoking violence against the activists on board.
Following the incident, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza denounced the arrest of participants by Israeli forces, and their deliberate destruction of cameras and photographic equipment in an attempt to obscure the features of the attacks, renewing its demands to ensure safe passage for the humanitarian mission.
On May 20, Minister Ben Gvir broadcast a video clip documenting the detention of activists while they were handcuffed and on their knees, in which he appeared waving the Israeli flag in front of one of the detainees, thanking members of the Israeli forces, after they violently pushed an activist to the ground after she chanted the slogan “Free Palestine,” a scene that caused a widespread international wave of condemnation.
On the European level itself, the legal repercussions of these violations expanded, as the French public prosecutor announced on June 6 the opening of a preliminary investigation based on suspicions of war crimes and acts of torture, against the backdrop of ill-treatment to which French citizens participating in the fleet were subjected.
