Analysis
Names of Israeli soldiers are included in Italy’s Flotilla prosecution
The outcome remains to be seen. In the meantime, prosecutors already have a list of nine people – ranging from military officials to politicians – to consider. Starting with Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office investigation into the Israeli attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla does not focus solely on the chain of command. Deputy Prosecutor Lucia Lotti and Assistant Prosecutor Stefano Opilio are reportedly also investigating the soldiers who were physically engaged – first between April 29 and 30 and then between May 18 and 19 – in halting the humanitarian mission in international waters.
While the case file regarding the October events has been finalized, there are no charges or suspects yet in this latest line of inquiry. This is entirely expected given the sheer volume of work required to build the case: hearings with the 46 Italian activists are still ongoing, and the flotilla’s legal team is still working on finalizing the complaints that will be filed this week.
Meanwhile, on May 27, the lawyers submitted a substantial dossier to the prosecutors that could prove highly useful in identifying those responsible for the violence. Those who were abducted at sea and taken prisoner were shown several photos of alleged Israeli navy commandos, and there have already been some positive identifications.
This development is highly significant from both an investigative and procedural standpoint. Having names to enter into the register of suspects clears the way for what would otherwise be an impossible trial. The key lies in the 2023 Constitutional Court ruling that unblocked the trial regarding the 2016 murder of Giulio Regeni in Egypt. According to the court, in cases of political crimes committed against Italians abroad, a trial can proceed even in the absence of the defendants, provided they can be presumed to know about the proceedings against them.
Therefore, regarding the Flotilla affair, if the identifications are verified, the Rome prosecutor’s office will not need any sort of cooperation from Israeli authorities. The international letters rogatory would automatically become superfluous. This, however, applies only to the case file regarding the events of May, because for the October boarding, the alleged crimes (kidnapping, torture, robbery and property damage followed by shipwreck) remain attributed to persons unknown.
For that case, the Rome prosecutor’s office has already issued a letter rogatory asking Israel to assist with the identifications, but the request has been stalled at the Justice Ministry since May 9. If no response arrives from the ministry by June 8, the prosecutors may decide to contact Tel Aviv independently – even without the government's approval – through the Italian embassy.
There is virtually no hope that there will be any kind of assistance in the investigation from the Israeli side, however. For this reason, the prosecutors decided to approach the new case file differently: the testimonies, images and medical reports will serve not only to build the charges but also to identify the alleged perpetrators by first name, last name, rank and position.
The outcome remains to be seen. In the meantime, prosecutors already have a list of nine people – ranging from military officials to politicians – to consider. Starting with Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who, with his video broadcasting the humiliations inflicted on the activists, has effectively put his name to a claim of responsibility. This is also because, as head of national security, he has direct authority over the officers who handled the Flotilla crew, at least while they were in Ketziot prison. The other names range from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to IDF generals.
Furthermore, on Friday, May 29, the international group of lawyers representing the flotilla filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court in The Hague against senior Israeli military officers and political leaders for “war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture and conduct relevant to the execution of the crime of genocide.” The complaint, according to their press release, details “serious human rights and humanitarian law violations against unarmed civilian volunteers by israeli Occupation Forces (iOF)” in connection with the attacks in April and May.
The focus, in particular, is “on the severe, widespread abuses against civilians including journalists, medics and human rights defenders as part of a coordinated campaign of violence, documented across the Spring 2026 missions.” The list of crimes is shocking: rubber bullets fired at close range, tasers to the face and body, stun grenades, prolonged stress positions under intense light, broken bones (at least 36 cases documented), broken noses, physical and sexual abuse, deprivation of food and water, and various forms of humiliation.
This is another avenue the Global Sumud Flotilla intends to use to “challenge the systemic impunity of the israeli regime.”
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/flotilla-nellinchiesta-di-roma-ci-sono-i-nomi-dei-soldati-israeliani on 2026-05-31