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After stopping the humanitarian flotilla heading to Gaza, Israeli authorities deported all foreign activists. The footage released by Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sparked international reactions, while Albania demanded dignified treatment for the detained activists.
Israel has deported all foreign activists who were on board the humanitarian flotilla "Sumud", which was stopped by the Israeli Navy while sailing towards the Gaza Strip. Among the deported activists was Albanian activist Baki Goxhaj, part of the international flotilla that aimed to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.
The news comes just a day after strong international reactions caused by the publication of videos showing the treatment of activists during their detention by Israeli authorities.
According to Israeli authorities, about 430 members of the Global Flotilla “Sumud”, consisting of about 50 vessels, were detained on Monday near Cyprus and then forcibly transferred to Israel. The activists were initially held in Ketchiyot prison, in the south of the country, while legal protection for them was provided by the Israeli human rights organization “Adalah”.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein stated that "they have all been deported," without providing further details on the procedures followed or whether the activists appeared before a court.
Meanwhile, the representative of the "Adalah" organization, Moatasem Zeidan, told Agence France-Presse that, although a court procedure for their deportation was initially planned, in the end the activists did not appear before a judge.
According to the same source, the activists were transported to Ramon Airport, near the southern Israeli city of Eilat, from where they departed for their countries of origin. The Egyptian and Jordanian activists returned via the Taba and Aqaba border crossings.
Turkey announced that it had organized three charter flights from Ramon Airport to repatriate its citizens and some activists from other countries. Turkish media reported that 78 of the approximately 430 activists on the flotilla were Turkish citizens.
Meanwhile, 37 French citizens left for Istanbul, where they are expected to be assisted by French diplomatic representatives and then return to France.
There were also reactions from Albania. The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Ferit Hoxha, publicly condemned the treatment of the detained activists, after the release of the footage by the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Hoxha called the images "shocking and unacceptable," emphasizing that every detained person must be treated with dignity and in full respect for human rights, international law, and humanitarian law.
"The footage shared by Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir showing the humiliating treatment of detained flotilla activists is shocking and unacceptable. All detained persons must be treated with dignity and in full respect for human rights, international law and humanitarian law," the Albanian minister declared.
He also announced that he had instructed the Albanian Embassy in Tel Aviv to maintain constant contact with Israeli authorities, with the aim of providing consular assistance to Albanian citizens involved in the incident.
The detention of the “Sumud” flotilla has reignited international tensions over the blockade of Gaza and the treatment of humanitarian activists attempting to enter the Palestinian enclave. The flotilla’s organizers claim that the mission was humanitarian in nature and aimed to draw international attention to the situation in Gaza, while Israeli authorities argue that the intervention was carried out for security reasons and to enforce the naval blockade of the Palestinian territory.
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