ANKARA – A total of 137 activists who had been detained by Israeli authorities for joining the Gaza-bound aid flotilla were deported and arrived in Turkiye on Saturday. The group included campaigners from several countries, with some alleging mistreatment during detention, including claims involving Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
The activists landed at Istanbul Airport, among them 36 Turkish nationals, along with participants from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia, and Jordan.
Two of the released detainees, Hazwani Helmi from Malaysia and American citizen Windfield Beaver, told reporters that Thunberg had been shoved and compelled to wear an Israeli flag during custody. “It was a disaster. They treated us like animals,” said Helmi, 28, claiming detainees were denied clean food, water, and access to their personal belongings or medication. Beaver, 43, added that Thunberg had been “treated terribly” and “used as propaganda,” describing how she was pushed into a room during the arrival of Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Israel’s foreign ministry has rejected allegations of mistreatment as “complete lies.” It stated on X (formerly Twitter) that all detainees were “safe and in good health” and stressed that deportations were being completed as quickly as possible.
The interception of the flotilla — consisting of about 40 boats — by Israeli forces led to more than 450 activists being detained, sparking international criticism. The flotilla had been seeking to break the blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed that 26 Italians were among those who returned on the Turkish Airlines flight, while another 15 remain in Israel awaiting deportation. “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 posted on X. Four Italian parliamentarians had already been expelled and arrived in Rome on Friday, with one, Benedetta Scuderi, describing their treatment as brutal. “We were brutally stopped … brutally taken hostage,” she said.
According to Adalah, an Israeli legal aid organization, many detainees were deprived of access to lawyers, medicine, and water. The group further reported that some were forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied for at least five hours after chanting “Free Palestine.”
Israel has faced mounting international condemnation over the operation against the flotilla, with rights groups and governments urging respect for detainees’ welfare as deportations continue.
Leave a comment