Outrage grows over treatment of Gaza flotilla activists; US boards Iranian oil tanker – Middle East crisis as it happened

This live blog is now closed. You can read our latest full report here: Israeli security minister stirs diplomatic outrage with flotilla activist abuse video US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has dismissed the Gaza-bound flotilla as a “stupid stunt” – but said Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir “betrayed dignity of his nation” by publishing the video he posted on social media showing him mocking the detained activists. Huckabee, a staunch Christian-Zionist, wrote on X: double quotation markUniversal outrage & condemnation from every high-ranking Israeli official from @IsraeliPM @IsraelMFA @gidonsaar @IsraelPresident @yechielleiter @IsraelinUSA for despicable actions by Ben Gvir. Flotilla was stupid stunt, but Ben Gvir betrayed dignity of his nation. Huckabee’s intervention is particularly striking given his longtime ardent and unwavering support of Israel, including during its genocide in Gaza. He has previously drawn widespread condemnation after suggesting that Israel would be justified in taking over much of the Middle East on biblical grounds – in remarks that sparked alarm even from inside the White House - and is also a fierce ad