A Gaza-bound aid flotilla has not reached its destination. Instead, footage of activists aboard it being forced to kneel on the concrete at Israel’s Ashdod port, surrounded by armed officers and taunted by far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has triggered international outrage. Among those detained, according to organisers, were 11 Australians.
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TRANSCRIPT:
"Free free Palestine" - then sounds of a scuffle and Israeli soldiers shouting 'Shut up, shut up, sit down' in Hebrew".
A scuffle as the activist is forced to the ground, restrained and marched off by Israeli officers.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Been-Gvir is there.
“Welcome to Israel, we are the landlords.”
At his feet people, forced to kneel on the concrete, their hands restrained behind their backs as heavily armed Israeli officers move through the crowd.
Mr Ben-Gvir goes on shouting at a man who is down on his knees, his hands bound with tie-straps.
"Long live the people of Israel."
Then screams as some activists are separated from the group and taken away.
"Don't get excited by their shouting, don't get excited."
"They" are activists who had been aboard the Global Sumud flotilla, a convoy challenging Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, trying to deliver humanitarian aid.
Israeli forces had intercepted the flotilla in international waters, detaining those aboard and taking them ashore to Israel’s Ashdod port.
Among them, according to organisers, are 11 Australians, but that has yet to be confirmed.
While the flotilla never reached Gaza, footage from the Port of Ashdod did, and within hours, it had spread across social media, television screens and diplomatic channels around the world, transforming what Israel described as a security operation into a growing international crisis.
While critics saw humiliation in the videos, Mr Ben-Gvir appeared almost triumphant.
He says the activists should remain in Israeli prisons for a long, long time.
“They came here all full of pride, like big heroes, look at them now. Look how they look now, not heroes at all, just supporters of terrorism. I say to Prime Minister Netanyahu, give them to me for a long, long time, give them to us for the terrorist prisons, that's what it should look like.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended Israel’s right to stop what he called provocative flotillas supporting Hamas, but even he has distanced himself from this, saying Mr Ben-Gvir’s actions were not in line with Israel’s values and norms.
That seems to be the general feeling inside Israel itself, the footage opening a bitter political divide, with Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accusing Ben-Gvir of harming Israel internationally.
Ben-Gvir has responded angrily in parliament, arguing Israel had spent too long apologising to the world.
"I say to Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, the days when Israel was a punching bag are over, the days when we became a punching bag are over, the apologies have led us nowhere, nowhere. It is expected of the Foreign Minister of the State of Israel, of all the members of the government, of this entire Knesset, to internalise this."
But beyond the political arguments and diplomatic fallout, lawyers who met the detainees say some activists described violence after they were brought ashore.
Suhad Bishara from the Adalah legal advocacy group says several people have reported injuries.
"We heard many stories of a lot of violence. We know of at least two participants who were hospitalised. They had to be taken to hospital to get treatment. Both of them were shot by rubber bullets for no reason, without any justification. We've heard many complaints about possible break in the ribs. We've met people who were in a lot of pain."
Israel’s Foreign Ministry says no live ammunition was fired, and that only non-lethal measures were used as warnings.
Still, as the images continued to spread, attention shifted away from the flotilla itself and onto the treatment of the people onboard.
At the United Nations, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric is demanding detainees be treated with dignity and returned home.
"Everyone who has been detained by the Israeli authorities who are members of the flotilla needs to be treated with respect and dignity, like anyone who is detained, and they need to be returned back to their homes immediately."
Across Europe, governments have reacted with unusual fury.
Italy summoned Israel’s ambassador and demanded an apology, while Spain's foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares saying the treatment of the activists is immoral.
“I have seen a monstrous, inhuman, undignified video in which members of the flotilla were unjustly and humiliatingly treated by an Israeli minister and the police. Among them, of course, are the Spanish men and women of the flotilla, and I find it extremely alarming. I insist, that treatment is monstrous, it is undignified, it is inhumane. I demand a public apology from Israel. I have urgently summoned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel’s chargé d’affaires to convey our total rejection, our outrage, and our deep disgust of this absolutely abhorrent and unacceptable treatment."
And in Australia, families and supporters of those detained have been anxiously waiting for answers.
A vigil has been held outside Kirribilli House, while the Australian delegation of the flotilla has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to join international condemnation of Israel’s treatment of detainees.
Palestinian-Australian delegate Subhi Awad says Canberra should go further, demanding the Israeli ambassador to Canberra be summoned or sent back to Israel.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has also condemned the footage, describing the images as shocking and unacceptable.
She says Australia has already sanctioned Mr Ben-Gvir, and issued this statement.
“The images we have seen are shocking and unacceptable. We condemn the actions of Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir - who Australia has sanctioned - and the degrading actions of Israeli authorities towards those detained.”
Senator Wong says Australia’s ambassador to Israel has been instructed to raise the matter directly, and to repeat Canberra’s call for detained Australians to be released.
“I have asked Australia’s Ambassador to Israel to make representations to Israel, reiterating our call for the release of the detained Australians and for Israel to ensure no ill treatment of any detainees and to act in line with international obligations.”
The flotilla carried only a symbolic amount of aid.
But organisers say symbolism was always central to the mission, and the images from Ashdod have shifted attention away from the boats themselves and onto the treatment of people, this time not Palestinians, but from countries all around the world.
