Italian prosecutors announced Friday that an inquiry has been opened in Italy targeting Defence Minister Israel Katz along with senior figures from the military, police, and prison services over their handling of Gaza flotilla detainees. Itamar Ben-Gvir, who holds the National Security portfolio, had been the sole focus of the inquiry until this latest expansion brought additional parties into its scope.
Allegations of torture, abduction, bodily harm, theft, and property destruction — arising from the stopping of small boat convoys bound for Gaza during 2025 and 2026 — form the basis of a case outlined in a statement from prosecutors in Rome. The inquiry got under way after formal complaints were lodged by 50 Italian nationals who had been held by Israeli authorities in connection with two Global Sumud Flotilla voyages — one running from September through October 2025 and a second spanning April through May 2026.
Prosecutors extended their list of suspects to cover 12 senior figures drawn from the military, police, and prison services — among them armed forces chief Eyal Zamir — alongside Katz and Ben-Gvir. No comment from Katz had arrived by the time of publication, and no comment from Zamir had been received by the time of publication.
When the investigation news surfaced in June, Ben-Gvir brushed it aside, stating that he would go on standing alongside the fighters with pride. Prosecutors relayed accounts from activists held after the first operation, who described a pattern of physical abuse, threats of death, verbal insults, and accusations of involvement in terrorism. Those involved in the second operation described being subjected to physical force in darkened conditions, along with the deployment of tasers and rubber bullets, according to the statement.
Prosecutors stated that those leading both the military and police structures tied to the operations had been identified by investigators. A judicial-assistance request, forwarded to Israel back in June, was described by prosecutors as the mechanism through which they aimed to gather the documentation needed to piece together what happened and attribute responsibility to specific individuals. No indication emerged from the report as to whether a response had come from Israeli authorities.
Coordination with Eurojust, the European Union's judicial cooperation body, also took place, prosecutors noted, given that parallel inquiries into both flotilla operations were already under way across several other European countries whose identities were not disclosed. Italian legal provisions allow offences carried out on foreign soil against nationals to be brought before domestic courts for prosecution.
Under Italian law, an investigation opens without any presumption of wrongdoing and carries no guarantee that formal charges will ever follow. Should the investigation find sufficient grounds, a formal indictment request could be submitted to the courts by prosecutors.
Those who organised the flotilla stated that their purpose was to transport aid supplies into Gaza while challenging the naval restrictions imposed on the territory. The country's naval blockade on Gaza is described by its authorities as operating within the bounds of international law.
