TEL AVIV – Israel has begun releasing and deporting hundreds of activists who attempted to break through its naval blockade of Gaza, as reported by a legal group involved with the flotilla.
The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, known as Adalah, confirmed on Thursday that the majority of these international activists are being transported to a civilian airport close to Eilat in southern Israel, where they will be deported.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Wednesday that he had instructed for the swift deportation of the activists. This decision followed his criticism of Israel’s national security minister for a controversial video showing the minister mocking the detained flotilla members, who were handcuffed and kneeling.
Netanyahu emphasized that while Israel has the right to intercept “provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters,” the manner in which National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir handled the situation was “inconsistent with Israel’s values and norms.”
On Wednesday, Ben-Gvir released videos depicting him among the roughly 430 detainees. In one clip, the activists are shown kneeling with hands bound behind their backs, heads down, in what appears to be a makeshift detention area aboard a ship.
The flotilla, consisting of over 50 boats, set sail for Gaza last week from Turkey, near Cyprus. The organizers stated their aim was to bring renewed attention to the living conditions of nearly 2 million Palestinians residing in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has called the flotilla “a PR stunt at the service of Hamas” with no real intent to deliver aid to Gaza. The boats carry a tiny, symbolic amount of aid.
Israeli forces began stopping the boats around 268 kilometers (167 miles) from the Gaza coastline, according to the flotilla’s website. Israel also stopped 20 boats from the flotilla on April 30 near Crete.
This week, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions against several European activists aboard the flotilla, which U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called “pro-terror.”
Israel has maintained a sea blockade of Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007. Israeli authorities intensified it after the Hamas-led militant attacks on southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023.
Critics say the blockade amounts to collective punishment. Israel says it’s intended to prevent Hamas from arming itself. Egypt, which has the only border crossing with Gaza not controlled by Israel, has also greatly restricted movement in and out.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive following the Oct. 7 attacks that started the war has killed more than 72,700 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn’t give a breakdown between civilians and combatants. It is staffed by medical professionals who maintain and publish detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.
