Newsletters
A Turkish Airlines (THY) flight carrying 137 activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, including 36 Turkish citizens, arrived at Istanbul Airport on Saturday after they were detained by Israel in international waters.
The THY flight departed from Ramon Airport in Israel's Eilat and landed at Istanbul Airport at 3:50 p.m.
The flight carried 137 people from the Global Sumud Flotilla boats, including 36 Turkish citizens and 23 Malaysians.
The activists were welcomed at Istanbul Airport's VIP Lounge by officials and a large crowd. Aside from the Turkish and Malaysian citizens, nationals of the U.S., UAE, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia, and Jordan were also aboard the plane.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the Turkish Airlines flight carrying Turkish citizens and flotilla participants from various countries on Global Sumud Flotilla boats arrived in Istanbul.
Fidan made a statement on his social media account X saying, "The Turkish Airlines flight carrying our citizens and flotilla participants from various countries on the Global Sumud Flotilla boats seized by Israeli forces arrived in Istanbul."
"Our efforts continue for the return of the remaining citizens to the homeland as soon as possible," he added.
"Courageous people who gave voice to humanity's conscience displayed an honorable stance against oppression with their courage and determination, and became the voice of the oppressed with their struggle for justice and human values," Fidan concluded.
Israel's Foreign Ministry announced that 137 people from the Global Sumud Flotilla, who were detained while trying to deliver aid to Gaza, were deported to Türkiye.
Deportation procedures continue for activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, who were illegally detained by the Israeli military while sailing to Gaza with more than 40 boats to break the blockade and deliver humanitarian aid.
According to a statement by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, 137 activists from the flotilla were deported to Türkiye.
The statement said, "Among those deported are citizens of the U.S., Italy, U.K., Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Algeria, Mauritania, Malaysia, Bahrain, Morocco, Switzerland, Tunisia and Türkiye."
The statement noted they are trying to expedite the process for the deportation of other activists and emphasized that all activists will be deported as soon as possible.
Israel had deported four Italian activists from approximately 500 activists on Friday. The legal team supporting the Global Sumud Flotilla also announced Saturday that as many as 280 participants held by Israeli forces completed initial procedures before Israel's immigration court.
In a statement, the team said, “the court sessions resumed on Saturday for 200 additional activists whose hearings were postponed.”
It added that “because Saturday is considered a weekend and a holy day in Israel, proceedings are proceeding slowly and are expected to continue Sunday.”
Israel has maintained the blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years.
Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed more than 66,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it all but uninhabitable.
2 min read
8 min read
