Israel deports 29 Gaza flotilla activists to Spain

By Rania Abu Shamala

ISTANBUL (AA) - Israeli authorities deported 29 European activists to Spain on Sunday after they were detained from an international aid flotilla heading to the blockaded Gaza Strip.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the deportees are citizens of Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands.

The Global Sumud Flotilla earlier said that the list of activists scheduled for deportation includes 21 Spaniards, four Dutch nationals, and four Portuguese nationals.

“All families and friends can be reassured that deportation permits have been issued for everyone concerned, and no one is being held back,” it added in a statement.

Israeli naval forces attacked and seized vessels of the flotilla late Wednesday and detained more than 470 activists from over 50 countries. The flotilla was attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s blockade of the enclave.

Israel has maintained the blockade of Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable, with the blockade also pushing Gaza to famine.