Four hundred and twenty-two pro-Palestinian activists arrived in Istanbul on Thursday after being deported by Israel, following the interception of a humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza. Wearing grey tracksuits and Palestinian keffiyehs, the activists descended from the plane chanting "Free Palestine" as supporters gathered on the tarmac to greet them. Several passengers appeared to have sustained injuries, with footage showing individuals on stretchers wearing neck braces and bandages.
The flotilla had been diverted earlier in the week to Ashdod, a port city on Israel's Mediterranean coast, after Israeli forces boarded the vessels. Activists from Turkey, Greece and the United States alleged they were subjected to beatings, electric shocks and other mistreatment while in Israeli custody. Israel's Foreign Ministry confirmed that all foreign nationals had been deported via a civilian airport near Eilat, a city at the southern tip of Israel on the Red Sea.
The incident prompted swift diplomatic responses across Europe. Britain, France and Portugal each summoned Israeli envoys on Thursday after videos circulated showing detainees kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the operation, describing the flotilla as "provocative," but he also publicly criticised National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over footage that was widely seen as humiliating to those detained.
The episode drew renewed international attention to Gaza's worsening humanitarian situation and to Israel's ongoing blockade of the territory, which has remained in place throughout the conflict with Hamas, the militant group that governs the Gaza Strip. Aid organisations and governments have repeatedly warned that the blockade is severely limiting the flow of food, medicine and other essential supplies to Gaza's civilian population.
The flotilla movement has a charged history: a 2010 Israeli raid on a similar convoy killed ten Turkish activists and triggered a prolonged diplomatic crisis between Ankara and Jerusalem. Thursday's arrival in Istanbul, met with an emotional reception, signals that the issue retains significant political weight both domestically in Turkey and in the broader international debate over access to Gaza.