The picture shows Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg (C) and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila (R), along with other activists, after the Israeli navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on October 1, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has openly defended the mistreatment of hundreds of international activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla.

In a Saturday post on X, an activist with the Gaza-bound flotilla, Ersin Celik, said Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg was physically abused and forced to kiss an Israeli flag after regime forces raided the Gaza-bound vessels and detained those on board.

Amid widespread criticism, the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Sunday dismissed claims that Thunberg and other detainees from the Sumud flotilla were mistreated, calling the allegations "brazen lies."

The Cradle news website reported on Monday that minutes after the Israeli Foreign Ministry`s denial, Ben-Gvir said he was proud that the flotilla activists are being treated as "terrorists", explaining it as his policy.

"I am proud of the prison staff acting in accordance with the policy set by Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi and myself. I was on their ships; I saw neither aid nor humanity," the website quoted the Israeli minister as saying.

Ben-Gvir expressed pride that during his visit to Israel`s Ktzi`ot Prison, the flotilla activists were treated as "supporters of terrorism."

"Anyone who supports terrorism is a terrorist and deserves the same conditions applied to terrorists," he emphasized.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of over 50 vessels, set sail from Barcelona late last month to deliver aid to Gaza and challenge what human rights groups have condemned as one of the harshest and most inhumane blockades in the world.

Since Wednesday, the Israeli navy has illegally intercepted flotilla vessels in international waters as they neared Gaza, detaining about 500 activists from more than 40 countries.

Since March 2, when Israel violated its ceasefire agreement with the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, the regime has sealed all border crossings into the enclave, blocking the entry of humanitarian aid and further deepening Gaza`s already dire humanitarian crisis.

The brutal blockade has pushed the famine-linked death toll to 460 people, including 154 children.