Israel deports all foreign Gaza flotilla activists

Anadolu Agency/AFP: Israel said on Thursday it had deported all the foreign activists seized by Israeli forces from a Gaza-bound flotilla, following global outcry over their treatment in custody.

Israel’s foreign ministry spokesman, Oren Marmorstein, said that “all foreign activists from the PR flotilla have been deported from Israel”.

“Israel will not permit any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza,” he added.

Earlier, the legal centre and rights groups representing the activists, Adalah, said all detained activists from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla and Freedom Flotilla Coalition had been released from Israel’s Ktziot prison ahead of deportation.

Saad Edhi, son of prominent social worker Faisal Edhi and grandson of late philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, was reportedly also among the detained activists.

Adalah said it had received “official confirmation” from the Israeli Prison Service and state officials that the detainees had been released.

“The majority of the participants are being transferred to Ramon Airport to be flown out of the country,” the group said.

One of the organisers of the Freedom Flotilla mission, Thiago Avila, in a post on X, said, “Zohar, one of our participants of the last flotilla mission, is free,” adding that the “others” were expected to arrive in Istanbul by 18pm [sic]”.

“The world mobilisation is working! Keep talking about Gaza and showing solidarity with Palestine,” he added.

More than 430 activists from countries around the world were taken in custody in Israel after they were detained at sea while making the latest in a string of attempts to break the blockade of the Palestinian territory.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked condemnation on Wednesday by posting a video showing the detained activists with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground.

Captioned “Welcome to Israel”, the footage showed Ben Gvir heckling and waving an Israeli flag among the detained activists.

On Thursday, Adalah said the flotilla members were “en route for deportation” from Ramon Airport in Israel’s far south after their release.

“The majority of the participants are being transferred to Ramon Airport to be flown out of the country,” Adalah said.

Around 50 vessels under the Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Turkey last week in the latest attempt by activists to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza, after Israeli forces intercepted a previous convoy last month.