Israel has released two Turkish activists who were detained aboard a boat attempting to breach Israel’s deadly blockade of the Gaza Strip, Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said Thursday.
Yasemin Acar and Suayb Ordu have left Israel on a flight out of Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, the sources said.
Acar, a German citizen, and Ordu were among 12 passengers, including climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aboard the Madleen, a boat that sought to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza and deliver a symbolic amount of aid. Israel seized the vessel in international waters on Monday and deported Thunberg and three others the following day.
Six more activists were deported on Thursday, and the last two activists are expected to be deported on Friday, according to Adalah, a local human rights group representing them.
It said the activists were subjected to "mistreatment, punitive measures and aggressive treatment, and two volunteers were held for some time in solitary confinement."
Israeli authorities declined to comment on their treatment. Israel says it treats detainees in a lawful manner and investigates any allegations of abuse.
Israel portrayed the voyage as a media spectacle, dubbing it the "selfie yacht."
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organized the journey, said it was aimed at protesting Israel's blockade of Gaza and ongoing military campaign there, which experts say has pushed the territory to the brink of famine more than 20 months into its brutal war on Gaza.
