Israel said on Thursday it had deported all the foreign activists seized by its forces from a Gaza-bound flotilla, as the first group arrived in Turkey following global outcry over their treatment in custody.
Hundreds of activists from countries around the world were 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.
Turkish foreign ministry sources said 422 activists, among them 85 Turkish nationals, were flown from southern Israel on three planes chartered by Ankara.
A first group of arrivals were seen inside the VIP terminal at Istanbul airport, as a crowd of supporters carrying Palestinian flags gathered to welcome them, an Agence France-Presse correspondent said.
Israeli forces “attacked us. Each of us was beaten, women and men … It’s what Palestinians experience all the time,” said Turkish national Bulal Kitay, after he got off the plane.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked widespread condemnation and a diplomatic backlash on Wednesday by posting a video showing the detained activists with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground.
