Italian prosecutors have expanded an investigation into the treatment of anti-Israel activists detained during Gaza-bound flotilla operations, adding Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and other senior Israeli security officials to the list of suspects, Reuters reported Friday.
The investigation, which initially focused on National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, concerns allegations of mistreatment following Israeli interceptions of flotillas attempting to reach the Gaza Strip in 2025 and 2026.
According to a statement from the Rome prosecutor's office, the alleged offenses include torture, kidnapping, bodily injury, robbery and property damage.
The investigation was launched after 50 Italian citizens filed complaints concerning their detention by Israeli authorities following two Global Sumud Flotilla missions, the first conducted between September and October 2025 and the second between April and May 2026.
Prosecutors said participants in the first flotilla reported being beaten and injured while in Israeli custody. They also alleged that they were subjected to death threats, verbal abuse and accusations of involvement in terrorism.
Those detained during the second mission described what prosecutors characterized as more severe treatment, including alleged beatings in darkened areas and the use of tasers and rubber bullets.
The allegations have not been established in court.
Italian investigators said they had identified officials within the Israeli military and police command structures who were involved in the operations.
In addition to Katz and Ben Gvir, prosecutors listed 12 senior figures from Israel's military, police and prison services as suspects, among them Zamir.
Neither Katz nor Zamir immediately responded to requests for comment.
Ben Gvir previously rejected reports concerning the investigation against him. In June, he said he would "continue to stand proudly alongside our fighters".
The Rome prosecutor's office also disclosed that it had submitted a request for judicial assistance to Israel in June, seeking information to help establish the sequence of events and determine whether individual officials bore responsibility for the alleged offenses.
Prosecutors did not indicate whether Israeli authorities had responded to that request.
The Italian investigation is also being coordinated with judicial authorities elsewhere in Europe.
According to prosecutors, discussions have taken place through Eurojust, the European Union's agency for judicial cooperation, because other European countries are conducting similar investigations into the two flotilla missions. The statement did not identify those countries.
Italian law allows authorities in Rome to prosecute certain offenses committed outside Italy when Italian citizens are the alleged victims.
However, the inclusion of an individual in a criminal investigation does not constitute a finding of guilt or mean that the person will necessarily face trial.
Should prosecutors conclude that sufficient grounds exist to pursue charges, they may formally request that the suspects be brought to trial.
The investigation comes amid continued international controversy surrounding attempts by anti-Israel activists to challenge Israel's naval blockade of Gaza.
French judicial authorities have also opened a preliminary investigation into allegations of war crimes and torture concerning the reported treatment of French citizens during an Israeli interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla.
Several governments, including those of Italy, Germany, Ireland and Canada, have publicly criticized Israel's handling of the flotilla operations.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)