Turkey sends flights to repatriate Gaza flotilla activists detained by Israel

Israel Begins Deporting 430 Flotilla Activists as Ben-Gvir Video Draws Global Backlash

Israel has begun deporting approximately 430 activists detained from the Global Sumud Flotilla after Israeli naval forces intercepted the Gaza-bound aid convoy in international waters west of Cyprus, a move that has triggered a wave of international condemnation intensified by a video posted by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir showing him taunting bound detainees.

The deportations, confirmed on Wednesday, follow days of mounting diplomatic fallout after Ben-Gvir shared footage of himself confronting kneeling activists with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, waving an Israeli flag and reportedly shouting “We are the masters” as Israel’s national anthem played in the background. Turkey said on Thursday it was sending charter flights to Israel to repatriate its nationals among the detained activists.aljazeera

International Condemnation and Diplomatic Fallout

The video prompted Canada, Italy, France, and the Netherlands to summon Israeli ambassadors. The United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and others also condemned the treatment of the activists. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the treatment “unacceptable”.youtube

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar issued rare public rebukes of Ben-Gvir, with pro-Israel voices warning that the minister had turned a successful security operation into a diplomatic liability. The Associated Press reported that Netanyahu sharply criticized Ben-Gvir for releasing the videos, which showed him telling activists they should be imprisoned “for a very long time”.algemeiner

Poland demanded “justice” for its citizens who were aboard the flotilla and called for consequences against Israel. Ben-Gvir was already banned from entering all 29 Schengen countries after the Netherlands placed him in the Schengen Information System in September 2025, citing his incitement of violence against Palestinians.aa

The Interception and Its Aftermath

The Israeli military intercepted all of the flotilla’s more than 50 boats beginning on Monday, May 18, approximately 250 nautical miles from Gaza’s shores. Israel’s Foreign Ministry declared the operation complete, stating that “all 430 activists have been transferred to Israeli vessels”. The flotilla had departed from Turkey on May 13, carrying some 500 activists.reuters

At least 87 detained activists launched a hunger strike to protest their treatment in custody. The United States also imposed sanctions on four activists associated with flotilla organizing, including Saif Abu Keshek, who had been detained and deported from Israel earlier in May after the first wave of interceptions near Crete on April 30.aljazeera

The incident marks the third major flotilla interception in a year, following the June 2025 seizure of the vessel Madleen — which carried Swedish activist Greta Thunberg — and an October 2025 operation in which more than 470 activists were detained. Israel maintains that its naval blockade of Gaza is lawful and has characterized the flotilla as “nothing more than a PR stunt at the service of Hamas”.timesofisrael