Israeli authorities have expelled 137 previously detained members of the Sumud flotilla, which was intercepted by the Israeli navy on its way to the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced.
According to the statement, all of them have been deported to Turkey. They are citizens and nationals of Algeria, Bahrain, the United Kingdom, Jordan, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Malaysia, Morocco, the United States, Tunisia, Turkey and Switzerland. On October 3, Israel expelled the first group of detained activists – four Italian citizens.
However, the Israeli side claims that the actions of the detainees were a provocation. “These individuals, acting under the guise of delivering “humanitarian aid“ to Gaza, have clearly shown – through their behavior, their refusal of all offers of peaceful transfer of aid and the small amount of cargo they were carrying – that their true goal is provocation in the service of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, and not humanitarian aid”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes.
The Ministry added that Israel “is seeking to expedite the deportation“ of all detainees”. “Some of them are deliberately obstructing the lawful deportation process, preferring to remain in Israel.“ At the same time, a number of foreign governments have expressed reluctance to accept flights intended to return these provocateurs”. “However, all participants in this PR stunt will be deported as soon as possible”, the diplomatic mission is confident.
The “Sumud“ flotilla set sail from Tunisia for Gaza in mid-September. It consists of over 40 ships belonging to different countries. The mission's goal was to break the blockade of the Strip and deliver humanitarian aid to the enclave.
The Israeli authorities have repeatedly stated that they will not allow these ships to approach the shores of Gaza, citing the naval blockade due to the fighting in the Palestinian enclave. The flotilla activists were offered the option of leaving the cargo in the Israeli port of Ashkelon, closest to Gaza, or in a port in any other country from where the aid could be delivered to the Strip. According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the activists have rejected all these proposals.