Turkish activists, unlawfully detained by Israel aboard Sumud Flotilla, arrive at border crossing in West Bank

By Faruk Hanedar, Enes Canli, and Busra Nur Cakmak

JERICHO, Palestine (AA) - A group of Turkish activists, unlawfully detained by Israel aboard the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian aid flotilla, arrived at the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jordan on Tuesday to return to Türkiye.

The activists, who had been held at Ketziot Prison in southern Israel, were transported to the border in prison transfer vehicles.

Israeli naval forces attacked and seized vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla beginning on 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.

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

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed more than 67,100 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it uninhabitable.