Trending 
France has banned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from entering the country following outrage over a video showing detained Gaza aid activists being mocked in Israeli custody.
The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, announced on Saturday in a post on X that Ben Gvir’s actions towards European activists were unacceptable.
“From today, Itamar Ben Gvir is banned from entering French territory” after “his reprehensible actions towards French and European citizens” who were part of the humanitarian flotilla, Barrot said.
À compter de ce jour, Itamar Ben-Gvir est interdit d’accès au territoire français.
Cette décision fait suite à ses agissements inqualifiables à l’égard de citoyens français et européens passagers de la flottille Global Smud.
Nous désapprouvons la démarche de cette flottille…
— Jean-Noël Barrot (@jnbarrot) May 23, 2026
The controversy followed the release of a video posted by Ben Gvir on Wednesday after Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in international waters. The video showed activists kneeling on the ground with their hands tied while Ben Gvir waved an Israeli flag and mocked them. The video was captioned “Welcome to Israel.”
Thirty-six French nationals were reportedly among the activists detained during the operation. While France criticised the flotilla mission, Barrot said the treatment of the activists crossed a line.
“We cannot tolerate French nationals being threatened, intimidated or brutalised in this way, especially by a public official,” he said.
France and Italy are now pushing for wider European Union (EU) sanctions against the far-right Israeli minister. Additionally, Spain has also called for EU sanctions, while the United Kingdom (UK) summoned Israel’s senior diplomat over what it described as an “inflammatory video.”
Speaking in relation to the video, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the treatment shown in the footage was “not in line with Israel’s values and norms,” although Ben Gvir remains in office. Israel intercepted the flotilla as activists attempted to challenge the blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has faced severe shortages of food, medicine, and aid during the ongoing war.
