More than 430 activists from countries around the world had been placed in detention in Israel after they were intercepted at sea on Monday while making the latest in a string of attempts to break the blockade of the Palestinian territory.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked widespread condemnation and diplomatic backlash on Wednesday by posting a video showing the detained activists with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground.
Israel’s foreign ministry spokesman, Oren Marmorstein, said on Thursday that “all foreign activists from the PR flotilla have been deported from Israel”, adding that “Israel will not permit any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza”.
The legal centre representing the activists said earlier on Thursday that the majority of the flotilla members were “en route for deportation” from Ramon Airport in Israel’s far south.
In a statement, Adalah added that the activists had been held at Israel’s Ktziot prison, in the Negev Desert near Gaza.
Turkey had announced it was sending planes to Israel to “bring our citizens and participants from third countries to Turkey via special charter flights we will organise today”.
The deportations come after footage posted by Ben Gvir, captioned “Welcome to Israel” and showing the minister heckling and waving an Israeli flag among the detained activists, sparked resounding condemnation by governments around the world, from Italy to Spain and Australia to Canada.
He was also criticised at home by the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, as well as by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. (AFP)
