The Rome prosecutors’ office said Friday that the investigation concerns suspected torture, kidnapping, personal injury, robbery and property damage during Israeli forces’ interception of Gaza-bound solidarity boats in 2025 and 2026.
The investigation followed complaints from 50 Italian citizens detained during two missions by the Global Sumud Flotilla, which sought to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
Those under investigation include Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir, expanding a probe that previously focused on far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
According to prosecutors, activists detained during the first mission in 2025 reported beatings, injuries, death threats, insults and accusations of terrorism, while those detained during the second mission in 2026 described more severe abuse, including beatings in the dark and the use of tasers and rubber bullets.
The activists reported at least 15 cases of sexual assault, including rape.
Luca Poggi, an Italian economist detained during the flotilla missions, told Reuters in May: “We were stripped, thrown to the ground, kicked.”
Ben-Gvir dismissed news of the investigation in June, saying he would “continue to stand proudly alongside” Israeli soldiers.
The first Global Sumud Flotilla departed Barcelona in September 2025 with 42 boats and 462 activists before Israeli forces intercepted it in international waters in early October, detaining hundreds of participants who were later deported.
The second mission left Barcelona in April 2026, and Israeli forces began intercepting its vessels near the Greek island of Crete on April 30.
By May 19, Israeli forces had detained about 430 people aboard roughly 50 ships in international waters, with the final interceptions taking place off Cyprus.
Following the operation, Ben-Gvir posted a video showing him taunting cable-tied activists kneeling inside a makeshift prison at the port of Ashdod while Israel’s national anthem played.
Prosecutors said they sent Israel a request for judicial assistance in June, seeking information to reconstruct the events and establish individual responsibility, but did not disclose whether the Israeli authorities had responded.
They also held talks with Eurojust, the European Union’s judicial cooperation agency, as similar investigations proceed in other European countries.
Under Italian law, crimes committed abroad against Italian citizens can be prosecuted in Rome, and prosecutors could formally request a trial if they determine that the evidence supports the allegations.