Israel Deports Hundreds Of Gaza Flotilla Activists To Turkey After International Backlash

Israel deported hundreds of Gaza flotilla activists after international backlash over their treatment in custody, with the Israeli Foreign Ministry saying “all foreign activists” from the flotilla had been deported.

“Israel has deported hundreds of foreign activists abducted by Israeli forces who stormed a Gaza aid flotilla earlier this week, following global outcry over their treatment in custody”

Al Jazeera

The activists departed Israel on planes bound for Turkey, with about 420 activists departing Israel on planes bound for Turkey where they landed Thursday evening in Istanbul, and Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported they were expected to be taken for a medical checkup.

Al Jazeera

The episode followed Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, with the flotilla’s website saying Israeli forces began stopping the boats about 268 kilometers (167 miles) from the Gaza coastline.

In the account of the AP, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he instructed that the activists be deported “as soon as possible,” after sharply rebuking National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for provocative videos showing detainees handcuffed and kneeling.

The BBC reported the deportations came after international backlash to a video posted by Ben Gvir showing him taunting activists kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs.

French foreign affairs minister Jean-Noel Barrot said, “The actions of Mr. Ben-Gvir toward the passengers of the Global Sumud flotilla, condemned even by his own colleagues in the Israeli government, are unacceptable,” as several countries summoned Israeli envoys over concerns about the treatment of the activists.

In a separate reaction, Netanyahu said Ben-Gvir’s conduct was “not in line with Israel’s values and norms,” while the BBC reported the UK confirmed it had summoned Israel’s top diplomat in Britain, charge d'affaires Daniela Grudsky Ekstein, over the incident.

AP News

The Guardian reported that an Israeli ambassador, Hillel Newman, told the ABC that “No one out of the 400-plus people that were on the flotilla – no one was harmed,” while also saying the interception had been handled with “great sensitivity”.

The Guardian also quoted Joanne Jaworowski, Schofield’s mother, saying, “It is almost unbearable for me to think about what he has gone through over the more than three days at the hands of the brutal Israeli forces,” as she said she had not received information about his welfare.

Al Jazeera described a 57-year-old Belgian participant, Julien Cabral, arriving in Istanbul with a black eye and wound on his left temple, saying he heard in English, “Let’s have some fun,” and adding that activists were slapped and forced to beg for food, water and sanitary products at every step of the detainment process.

The deportations unfolded against Israel’s long-running sea blockade of Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007, with Israel’s Foreign Ministry calling the flotilla “a PR stunt at the service of Hamas.”

“- Published Hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists who were detained in Israel after their flotilla bringing symbolic aid to Gaza was intercepted have been deported, Israel has confirmed”

BBC

The AP linked the flotilla episode to the wider war context, saying Israel’s retaliatory offensive following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks has killed more than 72,700 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The Guardian reported that the factory of scrutiny extended beyond the activists themselves, but in the flotilla story it highlighted that the move to deport came after Ben-Gvir was widely condemned for posting a video of himself abusing bound activists captured from the Global Sumud flotilla.

NBC News quoted Thameen al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, saying, “It is not a crime to show solidarity and bring humanitarian assistance to the people who are in dire need of it in Gaza,” and said the activists’ arrest at sea appeared to be unlawful.

The Guardian also reported that a total of 428 activists sailing on 50 vessels had been detained by the IDF after being intercepted, and that a spokesperson for Adalah said Israeli prison service and state officials confirmed all detainees had been released from the Ktzi’ot detention facility and were en route to deportation.