Spain expecting return of 21 citizens detained on Gaza-bound flotilla

By Melike Pala

BRUSSELS (AA) - Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Jose Manuel Albares said 21 of the 49 Spanish citizens detained in Israel earlier this week are expected to return home on Sunday.

Speaking to the public broadcaster RTVE, Albares said Madrid reached an agreement with Israeli authorities to secure the release of the 21 crew members of the Global Summit Glotilla who were detained on Wednesday while en route to the Gaza Strip.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a network of international civil society groups, has organized multiple attempts since 2010 to break the blockade of Gaza and highlight its humanitarian crisis.

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

"Everything points to a possibility, but I cannot guarantee it until they board the plane in Tel Aviv. Let’s hope nothing goes wrong," he said, without providing details about their arrival time or location.

Albares said the "situation of detention by Israel must end immediately," adding that the 21 citizens to be released were those who signed a document acknowledging their "illegal" entry into Israel.

He expressed confidence that the remaining 28 Spanish activists would be released "in the coming days."

The minister also said the Spanish Navy vessel Furor will remain in the area "as long as there is even one Spanish from the flotilla in Israeli territory," and will monitor upcoming flotillas headed toward the Gaza Strip.

Commenting on the situation in Gaza, Albares reiterated Spain's call for Israel to halt its attacks and for Hamas to release all hostages. He stressed that "the ultimate goal must be the establishment of a state of Palestine."

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.