Israel has deported 171 passengers from the International Sumud Flotilla—together with Swedish local weather activist Greta Thunberg—to Greece and Slovakia, the Israeli Overseas Ministry acknowledged on Oct. 6.
The ministry acknowledged that the deportees had been residents of Greece, Italy, France, the UK, and the US, amongst different nations.
Whereas the organizers of the convoy, which carried European activists, lawmakers, and humanitarian employees, mentioned they had been making an attempt a “peaceful civilian mission” to ship assist to Gaza, the ministry described the flotilla as a provocation and claimed that some organizers had ties to terrorist teams, together with Hamas.
Israel has repeatedly warned that it wouldn’t enable the flotilla to breach the naval blockade of Gaza or enable activists to enter an lively fight zone. It intercepted all vessels within the convoy final week.
The ministry shared pictures of Thunberg and different flotilla passengers on the airport earlier than they had been deported. The ministry rejected claims relating to the remedy of Thunberg and different detainees as “brazen lies.”
“All the legal rights of the participants in this PR stunt were and will continue to be fully upheld. The lies they are spreading are part of their pre-planned fake news campaign,” the ministry acknowledged.
“The only violent incident came from a Hamas-Sumud provocateur who bit a female medical staff member of Ketsiyot Prison.”
This follows allegations by lawyer Lubna Tuma, who represents activists detained from the International Sumud Flotilla, that they had been mistreated and denied primary human rights.
The ministry acknowledged on Oct. 5 that Thunberg and different detainees refused to expedite their deportation and insisted on prolonging their keep in custody.
“Greta also did not complain to the Israeli authorities about any of these ludicrous and baseless allegations—because they never occurred,” the ministry acknowledged.
Deportations Amid Peace Talks
Israel introduced additional deportations in current days, together with 137 activists despatched to Turkey on Oct. 4 and one other 29 flown to Spain on Oct. 5. Some overseas governments, it acknowledged, had proven reluctance to just accept deportation flights.
The newest expulsions come as Israeli, Hamas, U.S., and Qatari delegations put together to satisfy in Egypt on Oct. 6 to debate a proposed U.S. peace plan for Gaza.
The warfare in Gaza broke out after Hamas-led terrorists launched a large-scale assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 civilians and taking about 250 hostages again to Gaza.
The dying toll in Gaza, in accordance to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Well being Ministry, has risen to greater than 66,000 up to now. That quantity doesn’t distinguish between fighters and civilians. The Epoch Occasions is unable to confirm that determine.
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