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Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli said Saturday that 36 Turkish citizens detained by Israel from the Global Sumud Flotilla are expected to return home this afternoon via a special flight.
"It is anticipated that 36 of our citizens on the Global Sumud Fleet vessels seized by Israeli forces in international waters will return to our country this afternoon via a special flight," Keceli said.
The spokesman noted the final figure has not yet been finalized and efforts continue to complete procedures for the remaining citizens.
"Our efforts continue to complete the procedures for the remaining citizens as soon as possible so that they can come to Türkiye. It is also planned that citizens of third countries will be on board the said flight," Keceli said.
Keceli stated on Friday that consular officials made direct contact for the first time with Turkish citizens illegally detained by Israel from the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set out to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Keceli said the citizens' return to Türkiye by special flight on Saturday is a possibility.
"There is no cause for concern regarding the general health condition of our citizens," Keceli said.
Keceli made statements about the situation of Turkish activists illegally detained by Israel from the Global Sumud Flotilla and Türkiye's initiatives.
Emphasizing that the Sumud Flotilla played an extremely important role in drawing the world's attention to the ongoing disaster in Gaza, Keceli said, "We have been closely following developments since the first day the organization of the flotilla began. We were in contact with the flotilla's organizing committee and participants from the start. Our ministry's Situation Monitoring Center and Crisis Desk carefully followed developments on a 24/7 basis."
Keceli said they were in close coordination with countries whose citizens were on the flotilla, noting, "Our President (Recep Tayyip Erdogan) and our Minister (Hakan Fidan) conducted intensive phone diplomacy."
Keceli said as a result of these contacts, they ensured a joint statement was made, noting that in this statement, a strong warning was issued to Israel not to endanger the lives of those on the flotilla.
"Our ships operating in the region and our search and rescue capabilities also showed presence to contribute to the humanitarian aid mission," Keceli said.
Providing information about the latest situation of Turkish citizens detained by Israel, Keceli said, "At this stage, we know that hundreds of activists have been detained by Israel. Among them are close to 50 of our citizens. Because some of our citizens have dual citizenship, we cannot give an exact number."
"Immediately after the boats were seized, our consular officials got involved. They worked in coordination with the flotilla's lawyers and other relevant country embassies. We tried to immediately share the information obtained with the families of our citizens," he added.
Keceli said Turkish citizens on the flotilla were brought ashore at Ashdod Port on Oct. 2 along with activists from other countries, noting, "After administrative procedures here, they were gradually transferred to a detention center in southern Israel."
"Consular officials made face-to-face contact with Turkish citizens for the first time today. Our consular officials have been there for approximately eight hours and made direct contact with our citizens for the first time. According to the first information we received, there is no cause for concern regarding the general health condition of our citizens," spokesman Keceli said.
When asked whether there were countries that contacted Türkiye for help with evacuation, Keceli said, "Yes, there were. As you know, in the past we have provided a lot of help to third countries for rescue and evacuation from various humanitarian crises and natural disasters. This time, third countries also contacted us. We are ready to provide assistance for third country citizens to leave Israel within the limits of our capabilities."
Keceli said Malaysian authorities contacted them today and made such a request, adding that they are doing their best on this matter.
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