Turkish activists detained during an Israeli interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla are expected to return to Istanbul on Friday, organizers said.
According to a statement by the Global Sumud Flotilla, around 20 Turkish participants are due to arrive at Istanbul Airport between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. local time after being transferred to Greece.
“Following the attack on the flotilla, 175 activists were taken to the Greek island of Crete for repatriation,” the group said, adding that Turkish citizens were among those being returned.
The flotilla, part of a broader international effort to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, included 345 participants from 39 countries, according to organizers. The mission initially departed from Barcelona on April 12, with additional participants joining from Sicily before setting sail again on April 26.
On Thursday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said 175 activists had been detained after more than 20 vessels were seized in international waters while en route to the Gaza Strip.
Organizers on Friday called on governments to pressure Israel to release the two activists remaining in custody.
The mission marks the second initiative by the Global Sumud Flotilla, following a previous attempt in September 2025 that ended with an Israeli interception in international waters and the detention of hundreds of international activists.
In October 2023, Israel launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and destroyed about 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure, with reconstruction costs estimated by the United Nations at around $70 billion.
Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving about 1.5 million Palestinians out of roughly 2.4 million homeless after their homes were destroyed during the war.
