Rabat — Israel deported 137 pro-Gaza activists to Turkyie on Saturday, following the interception of dozens of boats from the Global Sumud flotilla bound for Gaza earlier this week.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed.
Israeli naval forces intercepted the flotilla on Wednesday as it approached the genocide-torn Gaza Strip coastline, where Israel continues to commit devestating genocide since October 2023.
The ministry arrested hundreds of activists aboard the vessels and has been processing their deportations throughout the week.
“137 more provocateurs from the Hamas-Sumud flotilla were expelled today to Turkyie,” the ministry announced in a statement on X.
Israeli officials claim Hamas supports the flotilla.
Moroccans among the deported
Saturday’s deportees included citizens from the US, Italy, the UK, Switzerland, Jordan, and several other countries, the ministry said.
Converging reports indicated that at least four Moroccan citizens in the flotilla were among the activists deported to Istanbul.
Moroccan sources previously reported the involvement of well-known activists, including the former president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AMDH), Aziz Ghali.
Turkyie announced that 36 of its nationals would return home Saturday afternoon on a special flight. On Friday, Israel had already deported four Italian activists.
The flotilla’s mission
The flotilla set sail last month, carrying political figures and activists with a mission to take human and medical aid towards breaking the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
Organizers described the mission as “peaceful” and said they aimed to “break the Gaza blockade” and provide “humanitarian aid to a besieged population facing starvation and genocide.”
The Israeli naval forces intercepted the boats on Wednesday in international waters, which participants and countries described as a breach of international laws.
