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Three Turkish lawmakers detained by Israel aboard the Freedom Flotilla ships may return to Türkiye on Thursday via a third country, while 18 other Turkish citizens remain held at a detention center, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said the three lawmakers were brought to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Wednesday night after being disembarked at the Port of Ashdod following Israel's illegal seizure of their vessels.
"The lawmakers may return to Türkiye via a third country by air today (Thursday)," the sources said. They added that 18 other Turkish citizens have been taken to Ketziot Detention Center.
"Our consulate officials in Tel Aviv are expected to meet with our citizens face-to-face today," the sources said.
The sources emphasized that all necessary steps had been taken to ensure the return of Turkish citizens as soon as possible, including the arrangement of a special flight.
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The Turkish Parliament passed a motion unanimously on Wednesday, condemning Israel's attacks on humanitarian aid flotillas bound for Gaza and warning that Turkish citizens must not be mistreated and must be released.
"Israel, adding another to its ongoing history of genocide and other war crimes, attacked the (Global) Sumud Flotilla, a civilian and peaceful initiative, in international waters, obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, and once again recklessly violating international law," the parliament said.
Parliament stressed that Israel's Wednesday attack on the Conscience Ship, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, is "a heinous attack" that targets the Turkish parliament as well, noting three of its members are detained on the ship.
"We will be the pioneers and persistent pursuers of holding Israeli occupation forces accountable in international courts for all crimes committed against our members of Parliament and members of the Sumud and Freedom Flotillas," the motion said.
Parliament expressed support for all detained Turkish citizens and all other "heroes who set out to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza."
The Israeli navy attacked ships of the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla Coalition's Thousand Madleens to Gaza early Wednesday in international waters, roughly 120 nautical miles from the enclave.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition departed from Italy carrying more than 140 people from 30 countries on one ship and eight boats, mostly doctors, health care workers and journalists, to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and break the Israeli blockade.
The convoy set sail after Israeli naval forces attacked and seized more than 40 boats last week that were part of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla and detained over 450 activists on board.
Most of them have been deported.
Israel has previously attacked Gaza-bound ships, seized their cargo and deported activists on board as the occupying power.
Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for nearly 18 years and tightened the siege in March when it closed border crossings and blocked food and medicine deliveries, pushing the enclave into famine.
Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.
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