A plane full of activists landed in Istanbul on Saturday after being held by Israeli forces while trying to sail to Gaza. A total of 137 people were flown to Türkiye among them 36 Turkish nationals after Israel intercepted the Global Sumud flotilla in international waters.
The Turkish Airlines flight left Ramon Airport in Eilat, in Israel’s south, and touched down at Istanbul Airport at 3:50 p.m. local time (1250 GMT). Waiting at the airport were officials and a big crowd, greeting the activists as they stepped off the plane.
Officials say the returnees will first get health checks, then go to the Istanbul Police Department to give statements. Turkish state broadcaster TRT reported that the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has opened an investigation into the detentions, which took place in international waters after the naval interception.
Foreign ministry sources confirmed that the group wasn’t only Turkish. Citizens from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia and Jordan were also among those returned to Türkiye.
The flotilla itself had been a large effort: organizers say 42 vessels and more than 400 volunteers from over 40 countries set off in August. Their stated goal was to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian supplies such as food and medical aid. Israeli forces, however, say they intercepted all the boats before they reached the Gaza coast.
Israel first imposed a naval blockade on Gaza in 2007 after Hamas took control of the territory; the restrictions were tightened again after the cross-border attacks in October 2023. The interception and the activists’ detention have since sparked diplomatic and legal scrutiny, and for now the returned volunteers face health checks and police interviews as Turkish authorities investigate what happened at sea.