In a live interview with the National Broadcasting Corporation yesterday, Finnish President Alexander Stubb severely condemned the Israeli Minister of National Security for releasing a video that humiliated international volunteers, denouncing it as completely unreasonable and in violation of international norms.
Following the recent evacuation of three injured Finnish volunteers and public complaints of violent treatment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has officially requested the Israeli ambassador to Finland to provide an explanation.
The incident, which sparked diplomatic outrage in many European countries, stemmed from Israeli officials intercepting the Global Sumud international rescue flotilla at sea. The purpose of the flotilla's trip was to break the Gaza maritime blockade and deliver emergency humanitarian supplies to refugees.
According to the Finnish National Broadcasting Corporation (Yle), the 428 international volunteers detained come from more than 40 countries, including doctors, journalists and human rights workers, including three Finnish citizens.
The Finnish volunteers who evacuated safely and returned to Helsinki are Ämäl Salih, Emmy Snickars and Tero Mononen. In the report, Saleh bluntly stated in an interview that they suffered violence and undignified inhumane treatment during their detention. The volunteers were deprived of sleep and the conditions in the temporary container prison were extremely harsh.
The flotilla organization and some released volunteers further alleged that some detainees even faced serious threats of sexual violence during their detention.
The trigger for this diplomatic storm was a shocking video recently released by Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on the social media X. According to a report by Finland's Helsingin Sanomat citing the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, footage showed that the arrested international volunteers were forced to kneel down at the port of Ashdod, face down, with their hands tied behind their backs.
In the video, a female volunteer was violently suppressed and dragged on the ground by the police while shouting slogans. Benjivel not only praised "well done" in Hebrew, but also waved the Israeli flag and mocked the volunteers, saying that they are the owners of this place.
The video immediately triggered a strong backlash in Europe. According to reports, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denounced the treatment as "an insult to human dignity." The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Israeli ambassador to demand a formal apology and the immediate release of the detained Italian citizens. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also publicly stated that she was deeply shocked by the video and asked the Israeli authorities to provide an explanation.
The storm also caused a public rupture in the Israeli cabinet. According to reports, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar used rare harsh words to denounce Banguivir for deliberately harming national interests with shameful actions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also issued a statement stating that Banguivir's treatment of volunteers was inconsistent with Israeli values and norms. However, Banguiville still defended strongly through social media, claiming that anyone who comes to support terrorism will get a slap in the face.
The intercepted rescue operation was the second recent attempt by an international group to break through the naval blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza since 2007.
