By Ece Toksabay and Alvise Armellini, Reuters
Ersin Celik of Turkey speaks to the press after the arrival of 36 Turks and nationals from 12 countries at Istanbul Airport on a special flight, after Israel stopped a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and detained hundreds of people. Photo: AFP / Yasin Akgul
Some 137 activists detained by Israel for taking part in a flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza arrived in Istanbul on Saturday after being deported, according to Reuters reporters at the airport.
The individuals included 36 Turkish nationals, as well as citizens from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia and Jordan, ministry sources added.
The Turkish Airlines flight landed at Istanbul Airport.
Sisters Nur Heliza Helmi (L) and Nur Hazwani Afiqah binti Helmi, two of the activists who were sailing aboard vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla after arriving at Istanbul Aiport. Photo: AFP / Yasin Akgul
More than 450 activists detained
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said 26 Italians were on board, with another 15 still held in Israel and set to be expelled over the next few days - along with activists from other nations.
Israel has faced international condemnation after its military intercepted all of about 40 boats in a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza and detained more than 450 activists.
"I have once again given instructions to the Italian Embassy in Tel Aviv to ensure that the remaining compatriots are treated with respect for their rights", Tajani wrote on X.
A first group of Italians from the flotilla - four parliamentarians - arrived in Rome on Friday.
"Those who were acting legally were the people aboard those boats; those who acted illegally were those who prevented them from reaching Gaza", Arturo Scotto, one of the Italian lawmakers who took part in the mission, told a press conference in Rome.
"We were brutally stopped ... brutally taken hostage", said Benedetta Scuderi, another Italian parliamentarian.
Zip-tied on their knees for hours
Israel's foreign ministry wrote on X that all detained activists were "safe and in good health", adding it was keen to complete the deportations "as quickly as possible".
In a separate X post, it accused some flotilla members of "deliberately obstructing" the deportation process, without providing evidence. Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegation.
According to Adalah, an Israeli group offering legal assistance to flotilla members, some of them were denied access to lawyers, and denied access to water and medications, as well as the use of toilets.
Activists were also "forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied for at least five hours, after some participants chanted 'Free Palestine'," Adalah said.
Israel denied the allegations. "All of Adalah's claims are complete lies. Of course, all detainees ... were given access to water, food, and restrooms; they were not denied access to legal counsel, and all their legal rights were fully upheld," a foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters.
The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, where Israel has been waging a war since Palestinian militant group Hamas' deadly attack on Israel in October 2023.
Israeli officials repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt and warned it against violating a "lawful naval blockade".
- Reuters
