Special Flight to Return 94 Detained Flotilla Activists to Türkiye

Türkiye has arranged a special flight operation to repatriate 94 international activists detained by Israeli authorities during the interception of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition's humanitarian mission to Gaza. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli confirmed Friday that the flight would return 18 Turkish citizens alongside activists from 20 other countries, demonstrating Türkiye's coordinated diplomatic response to the international incident.

Keceli announced via social media platform X that "the 18 citizens on the Freedom Flotilla vessels seized by Israel are coming to our country this afternoon on a specially arranged flight. With this flight, we are evacuating a total of 94 activists from 21 countries." The organized repatriation represents a significant diplomatic undertaking to resolve the detentions resulting from Wednesday's Israeli naval operation against the humanitarian convoy in international waters approximately 120 nautical miles from Gaza's coastline.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition's "Thousand Madleens to Gaza" convoy encountered Israeli military intervention early Wednesday while navigating international waters en route to deliver humanitarian assistance to the besieged Gaza Strip. This incident followed last week's similar interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, during which Israeli forces seized over 40 vessels and detained more than 450 activists, most of whom have subsequently been deported to their countries of origin.

Israel has repeatedly intercepted Gaza-bound humanitarian vessels throughout its nearly 18-year blockade of the coastal territory, typically confiscating cargo and deporting participating activists. These maritime interventions occur against the backdrop of ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israeli military operations since October 2023 have resulted in nearly 67,200 Palestinian fatalities and rendered significant portions of the enclave uninhabitable through extensive infrastructure destruction.