TEHRAN — Rome prosecutors formally initiated a criminal investigation into Israeli forces on Monday following the violent abduction of international activists and the illegal seizure of humanitarian vessels in international waters.

The judicial proceedings, spearheaded by the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office, target Israeli agents involved in the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian-led initiative dedicated to shattering the suffocating and illegal blockade of Gaza.

This action represents a major intensification of the legal challenges facing Tel Aviv for its habitual breach of international maritime protocols.

The investigation follows three comprehensive legal complaints, including those filed on behalf of Brazilian activist Thiago de Ávila and Spanish-Palestinian activist Saif Abu Keshek.

Both men were aboard Italian-flagged vessels when Israeli commandos launched a raid near Crete in late April, hundreds of nautical miles from any regional conflict zone.

While the majority of the 175 detained participants were eventually transferred to Greece, Ávila and Abu Keshek were forcibly abducted and taken to the occupied territories, a move characterized by legal experts as a blatant act of piracy.

The charges now under review include kidnapping, robbery, and criminal damage that risked causing a shipwreck, alongside disturbing reports of systematic abuse.

This judicial scrutiny arrives as Israel faces unprecedented global isolation for its descent into what international courts have branded systematic genocide and a doctrine of total war, responsible for over 100,000 lives claimed across the region in recent years.

For years, the regime has operated under a self-assumed license to intercept civilian aid with military force, relying on Western diplomatic cover to evade accountability.

However, the Italian probe signals a breach in this shield of impunity. The case has expanded to examine harrowing testimonies from 36 Italian participants who described enduring physical violence and torture at the hands of Israeli naval forces.