Published on 5/21/2026
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Last update: 14:44 (Mecca time)
The Arab human rights center “Adalah” in Israel revealed on Thursday that activists from the Global Resilience Fleet were transferred to Ramon Airport in the south in preparation for their deportation, after the occupation authorities intercepted aid ships heading to break the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.
The center explained that it “received official confirmation from the Israeli Prison Service and officials stating that all detained activists have been released from prison, and that they are currently on their way to deportation.”
Turkish trips
In Turkey, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that Ankara intends to operate special flights from Israel – today, Thursday – to evacuate Turkish citizens and a number of foreign activists who were on board the Al-Samoud fleet.
Fidan said – in a blog post on the X platform – that all Turkish institutions are working to ensure the security and safety of returning Turkish citizens, while NTV reported that Turkish Airlines sent 3 planes to Israel to complete the evacuation operations.
The Global Resilience Fleet announced earlier that Turkish activist Majid Bogchivan was injured by a rubber bullet in his leg during the Israeli attack on the fleet’s ship “Barbaros” on May 18 in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea.
The fleet’s crisis room said that Israeli soldiers fired plastic bullets during the “illegal” interception against the ship, wounding Bogchiwan before he was taken to the port of Ashdod and detained.
The statement indicated that Bogchiwan was transferred to a treatment center in Ashdod, but he refused to receive treatment in Israeli hospitals.
According to the Adalah Center for Human Rights, the activists were subjected to abuse and “severe acts of violence,” which included sexual insults, electric shocks, and broken ribs at the hands of the Israeli occupation forces.
International positions
For his part, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez said that his country expects the return of 44 Spanish activists who were on board the Global Resilience Fleet, and that they will arrive in Spain via Turkey via a flight departing on Thursday afternoon.
Reuters also quoted Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee as saying that 14 Irish citizens were on board the Global Resilience Fleet, noting that they are currently heading to Istanbul in preparation for their deportation.
In Poland, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced the summoning of the Israeli Chargé d’Affairs in protest against the arrest of Polish activists within the fleet, demanding their release and an official apology.
Sikorski said that Poland “strongly condemns” the way the Israeli authorities deal with activists, and explained that summoning the Israeli diplomat came to express “strong denunciation” of what he described as “extremely inappropriate behavior” on the part of a member of the Israeli government.
Yesterday, Wednesday, the Israeli police forced a number of activists to kneel with their hands tied behind their backs, while the extremist Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, appeared supervising the hazing operations, which sparked a wave of widespread international criticism.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that 9 countries summoned Israeli ambassadors and representatives in response to the video clip, including New Zealand, Canada, Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, and Australia.
The European Union also described the treatment of activists as “completely unacceptable,” stressing the need to treat detainees “safely and with dignity” in accordance with the provisions of international law, and calling for their immediate release.
The Israeli army had intercepted the boats of the Global Resilience Fleet while they were trying to reach the Gaza Strip to break the siege and deliver humanitarian aid. The fleet included about 50 boats and 428 activists from 44 countries, according to the organizers.
