Ben-Gvir Orders October 7 'Horror Video' Screened to 175 Detained Global Sumud Flotilla Activists; Visits Detention Center Calling Them 'Terrorists Helping Murderers'

On April 30, 2026 (Day 936 of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood), Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir instructed prison authorities to screen the 43-minute IDF-produced documentary footage of Hamas' October 7, 2023 attacks — known in Israel as the 'horror video' — to the 175 international activists detained after Israel's navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters off Crete. The flotilla, a humanitarian mission comprising 58+ vessels and approximately 1,000 participants from dozens of countries, had sailed from Barcelona to break Israel's maritime blockade and deliver symbolic aid to Gaza. Israel's navy intercepted at least 21 of the ships hundreds of miles from Gaza and redirected them to the southern port of Ashdod. Defense Minister Israel Katz stated the activists were taken to a screening room upon arrival and shown the October 7 footage, but said they 'refused to continue watching' once it began. Ben-Gvir filmed himself in the detention facility taunting the detainees, calling them 'terrorists helping murderers' and publishing the footage on social media; he also publicly endorsed harsh treatment of the activists. The Adalah legal aid organization, representing some detained activists, condemned Ben-Gvir's conduct as 'endorsement of inhumane treatment, abuse, and intimidation.' Internationally, Turkey's Foreign Ministry called the naval interception 'an act of piracy' violating international law; Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned it as 'unlawful' and demanded the immediate release of detained Italian citizens; Greece confirmed the seizure occurred in international waters northwest of Crete. The incident highlighted ongoing international controversy over Israel's use of October 7 documentation as a political tool, and the enforcement of its maritime blockade during the nominal October 2025 ceasefire.