The latest Samud Gaza Flotilla activists are back home, receiving a hero’s welcome from much of the mainstream media and political class. But cut through the noise for a moment and a different picture emerges. Who are these people really, and what actually happened out at sea?

Last week, Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released a cheeky video trolling the detained activists. It showed them being restrained and forced to listen to the Israeli national anthem on repeat while he waved the Israeli flag with a grin.

ככה אנחנו מקבלים את תומכי הטרור

Welcome to Israel 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/7Hf8cAg7fC

— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) May 20, 2026

The reaction in Australia was immediate. Foreign Minister Penny Wong, the Greens, and even United Australia Party Senator Ralph Babet all rushed to condemn Israel. An unusual alliance, but their shared fixation on Israel explains a lot.

She's not wrong. https://t.co/9XFAZ7zNzt

— Senator Babet (@senatorbabet) May 21, 2026

Which raises the simple question Australians should be asking: who exactly are the Gaza Flotilla activists they are all defending?

These are not new faces. They are the same far-left activists who have spent years attacking Australia, attacking Israel, and openly sympathising with extremist causes. Many are full-time agitators, known for disruptive protests, run-ins with police, and political stunts designed for headlines rather than outcomes. Some have used this latest voyage to taunt authorities back home.

🚨 Gaza Flotilla AUSTRALIANS heading back home to the “COLONY” after Israeli detention and deportation

After widespread condemnation of Israel from numerous countries including Australia for the "welcome to country" the activists received, 11 Australians are on their way back to… pic.twitter.com/EZeiGxA4df

— Rukshan Fernando (@therealrukshan) May 22, 2026

Ironically these same activists that lecture Australians about carbon emissions, are now while flying around the world, hopping between boats, protests, and media appearances for their pointless anti-Israel campaigns. Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi even tried to justify why the rules somehow do not apply to them. Spare us.

Now ppl on the Gaza Flotilla are chucking packets of chocolate in the ocean near Cyprus before being boarded to get to “kids in Gaza”. I wonder if @GretaThunberg will condemn this pointless pollution. pic.twitter.com/587BZevI9J

— Heidi Bachram (@HeidiBachram) May 18, 2026

They describe themselves as “aid workers,” yet when the moment came, much of their so-called humanitarian supplies were tossed overboard for the cameras, plastic bottles and single chocolates thrown into the sea. It was never serious aid, just performative from the start.

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I asked one of the leaders from an earlier flotilla what the goal actually was during a street interview at a protest. His answer was refreshingly honest: “To get people talking about us.” That says it all. This has never really been about helping Palestinians. It was, first and foremost, an exercise in attention-seeking.

Once you see it through that lens, everything else falls into place: the outrage, the stunts, the media cycles, and the carefully staged confrontations.

More footage from Gaza’s exclusive 'men only' parties in the past few days - you know, the same place the mainstream media insists is currently experiencing genocide and starvation.

(Stick around till the end and watch them playfully throwing drinks on each other.) pic.twitter.com/uQiYRbhs1Z

— GAZAWOOD - the PALLYWOOD saga (@GAZAWOOD1) May 17, 2026

While they posed for selfies on their boats, life in parts of Gaza continued, with markets open, nightclubs buzzing, and people going about their day, far removed from the total starvation narrative being pushed as the basis for their mission. The reality on the ground in Gaza is, of course, far more complex, shaped heavily by Hamas’s October 7 massacre and its continued use of civilians as human shields to protect its terrorist infrastructure. That context never features in much of this activism.

The biggest outrage, according to their supporters such as Senator Babet, was Ben-Gvir’s trolling video of the detainees. Yes, the Israelis were firm. That is hardly surprising when dealing with activists who have a history of confrontation, including spitting at authorities during deportations.

The selective outrage is telling because some of the same voices condemning this episode were silent when activists were violently beaten while attempting to march into Gaza from Egypt last year. Compared to that, this incident barely registers as significant.

Hay una razón por la que los fanáticos de la Flotilla siguen regresando a Israel.
Cuando intentaron cruzar a Gaza, vía Egipto, no solo la policía egipcia, sino también los lugareños, les dieron una paliza y les confiscaron los pasaportes.
No, ya no volverán a Egipto. @mcbenaim pic.twitter.com/qizEBqbBBP

— Acción y Comunicación sobre Oriente Medio - ACOM (@ACOM_es) May 23, 2026

I am not defending the video made by Minister Ben-Gvir. Politically, it was clumsy, serving only to give these professional activists exactly what they thrive on: a persecution narrative they can amplify.

And they did just that. After being deported to Turkey, the victim performance kicked in immediately. You would think they had survived a torture camp ordeal. In reality, they had boarded the plane hours earlier, filmed on video smiling and laughing as they left Israel. Once in Turkey, one appeared on a stretcher wearing a neck brace, only to make a swift recovery once the cameras were rolling.

Miracles do indeed happen 🤭

A young German female activist from the latest Gaza flotilla was filmed by media in a neck-brace with her face looking “bruised and battered”, her expression tearful and “traumatized” after being held for a few hours in Israel.

But then…. The… pic.twitter.com/kWSIrLCAVR

— Mor Edge Insight (@MorEdge_Insight) May 23, 2026

Claims of torture, beatings, and sexual assault were made, yet no credible evidence has been produced, with many of the claims appearing rehearsed or exaggerated. Anyone paying serious attention would know these groups routinely deny well-documented atrocities, including the horrors of October 7: mass murder, rape, and kidnappings. You could show them a corpse with forensic evidence of rape and they would deny it happened, so forgive me if I do not take their word for it.

Even in Spain, where the Hamas-supporting government is hardly aligned with Israel, the response to these activists has been far less sympathetic and at times forceful. At Bilbao airport, police had to intervene after the selfie-obsessed flotilla returnees blocked entrances, resulting in clashes with officers. Spanish law enforcement used heavy force to bring the situation under control.

Next flotilla, Israel should just deport them all straight to Spain.

The Spanish authorities did better job than Itamar Ben-Gvir 😂 pic.twitter.com/PNpXK9HHLg

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) May 23, 2026

Yet the usual outrage from Australian left-wing politicians and commentators has been absent, Senator Ralph Babet even welcomed the Spanish heavy handed approach sharing an X post showing a viral video of the airport clash. If you put the footage side by side, Ben-Gvir’s mocking video looks mild compared to the treatment they received in Spain. So why the silence and contradictions? Because this time, Israel could not be blamed. It is that simple.

And that brings it back to the core issue. This is not about aid, justice, or humanitarian work. It is about a cycle of performance, outrage, and political theatre that repeats itself every time.

Australia does not need these professional troublemakers returning home to stir up more division. It is time we stopped confusing performative activism with courage.