France announced a formal entry ban on Saturday against Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir after he mocked restrained activists captured by Israeli troops on a -bound humanitarian aid convoy.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated that Paris, alongside Italy, is also pushing for European Union-wide sanctions against the far-right politician.
“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 on X.
The travel ban follows intense international condemnation sparked by a video Ben Gvir published on Wednesday. The footage showcased the aggressive custody conditions of foreign activists intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.
In the recording, dozens of detainees are forced to kneel tightly with their foreheads pressed to the ground and their hands zip-tied.
The clip, which was captioned “Welcome to Israel”, showed Ben Gvir heckling the activists while waving an Israeli flag.
While Barrot said France disapproved of the flotilla’s actions, arguing they served “no useful purpose”, he added that “we cannot tolerate French nationals being threatened, intimidated or brutalised in this way, especially by a public official.”
Amidst global outrage, Israel announced it was deporting the individuals.
Thirty-six French citizens were among those aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla—a 50-vessel mission that departed Turkey last week in the latest effort to bypass the naval blockade of Gaza, following a separate intercepted convoy last month.
Spain has similarly pressured the EU for sanctions, while the United Kingdom summoned Israel’s top diplomat over the inflammatory clip. Israeli Prime Minister criticized Ben Gvir’s conduct as detached from “Israel’s values and norms,” yet allowed him to retain his cabinet post. Netanyahu had previously dismissed the maritime aid mission as a hostile plot designed to assist Hamas.
Israeli airstrike kills 5 police officers and child in Gaza
An Israeli airstrike killed five police officers and a child in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to local rescuers and the territory’s Hamas-run police force. Gaza’s civil defense agency reported six fatalities and several injuries after the bombardment hit a police outpost in the al-Tuam district. Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital confirmed receiving six bodies, identifying five as police officers and one as a child born in 2011.
Gaza’s police department stated that two missiles directly targeted the al-Tuam facility.
Although a ceasefire has been in place since October, Israel maintains it reserves the right to strike perceived threats. Gaza remains plagued by daily violence as airstrikes persist, with both the military and Hamas trading blame over truce violations. The Hamas interior ministry reported that 42 police officers have been killed since the truce began.
In an official statement, Hamas condemned the attack as a deliberate “crime” designed “to spread chaos in the Gaza Strip.” According to Gaza’s health ministry—whose data is deemed reliable by the UN—at least 890 Palestinians have died since the October 10 ceasefire. Severe media restrictions and limited access continue to prevent independent verification of casualty numbers.
