News Europe

Uproar Over Video of Israelis and Pro-Hamas Activists

Controversy erupts in Europe after footage shows Israeli minister Ben Gvir greeting detained Gaza flotilla activists—some holding Greek passports—who remain on hunger strike calling for Greek diplomatic action.

Stefanos Banos Staff Writer

MAY 20, 2026 AT 7:10 PM Updated: May 20, 2026 8:24 PM

Uproar across Europe over footage published by Israelis showing Minister Ben Gvir welcoming detainees from the Gaza flotilla.

In the video, the activists appear kneeling before the minister, their hands tightly bound behind their backs. At the same time, Ben Gvir waves a large Israeli flag and addresses the detainees, saying: “Welcome to Israel. This is Israel.”

Among them are Greek-speaking individuals holding Greek passports, who are participating in a general hunger strike and are demanding intervention from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Watch the video

ככה אנחנו מקבלים את תומכי הטרור

Welcome to Israel 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/7Hf8cAg7fC

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) May 20, 2026

Stefanos Banos

Stefanos Banos was born in Piraeus and is an editor at NewsFire.GR, specializing in political analysis and international relations. He graduated from the Department of Communication and Media at the University of Bremen in Germany, where he also completed his Master of Arts in Communication and Media Studies. Married to Zoi, he is a proud father of three boys.