Sad scenes/ Here's how Israel harshly treats activists who sent food to Gaza, among them an Albanian: With hands tied and...

2026-05-20 15:25:17Aktualitet SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Activists of the global Sumud flotilla have been filmed in the Israeli port of Ashdod kneeling, hands tied and surrounded by Shin Bet internal service agents, while Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir publicly belittles them.

The footage sparked widespread controversy regarding the treatment of participants in the humanitarian mission that departed from Turkey for Gaza.

Among the 430 detainees are 29 Italians. In a strong reaction, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani considered the way the activists were treated by Israel "unacceptable" and demanded that the latter apologize for "failing to respect the clear demands of the Italian government."

 
 
 
 
 
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The Foreign Ministry has summoned the Israeli ambassador for "formal explanations." According to preliminary reports, among those detained is Albanian national Baki Goxhaj.

Albanian activist Baki Goxhaj joined the international flotilla “Global Sumud”, a humanitarian mission that aimed to deliver aid to Gaza and defy the Israeli blockade. But the flotilla’s ships were stopped by Israeli forces in international waters and hundreds of activists from dozens of countries around the world were escorted to Israeli territory.  

Almost 48 hours have passed since that moment and there is still no clear public information about the Albanian activist's whereabouts and his condition.

According to international reports, over 400 activists from more than 40 countries were detained during the operation.

The flotilla's organizers called the intervention "piracy" and "kidnapping in international waters," while Israel stated that the activists would be transferred to Israeli territory and given consular access.  

 


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