The Global Sumud Flotilla completed its journey this week, though Israel claimed to manage to stop them from reaching Gaza, where thousands suffer under Israeli blockade. Activists from Türkiye and around the world arrived in Istanbul on Saturday and recalled abuse and harassment they faced at the hands of the Zionist regime during their illegal detention.
Though the flotilla was unable to deliver the aid it carried to Gazans, activists say they accomplished what they intended to, to demonstrate that the Israeli blockade can be broken if more people stand up for Palestinians.
A plane carrying activists from the aid flotilla landed Saturday at the Istanbul Airport.
Around 137 people from the humanitarian flotilla, including 36 Turkish and 23 Malaysian citizens, arrived by the flight.
After being transferred from Israel to Istanbul, the activists were taken to the Istanbul Forensic Medicine Institute for health checks before giving testimonies to prosecutors as witnesses.
Haşmet Yazıcı said his vessel was bombed by drones in open waters, causing physical injuries and damaging the sail. Israeli assault boats harassed the vessel, trying to sink it, before commandos boarded and seized control.
Yazıcı said activists were made to sit on the concrete floor for three hours at the port of Ashdod, with their hands bound behind their backs and heads forced to the ground.
"When elderly and weak people who couldn't stay in that position for hours changed positions, they forced their heads to the ground by kicking them, handcuffing them in the position of prostration and making them wait for one to two hours," he added.
Yazıcı said when they wanted to give testimonies in Turkish, a female security officer standing nearby said, "Dirty Turks, you already smell bad."
He said when activists accused her of racism, they were threatened.
"They asked us why we entered Israeli territory without permission. I told them, 'We didn't enter Israeli territory; you forcibly took us from international waters.' They asked why we were going to Gaza. I said that there is genocide happening there, that they are killing children, that we were bringing humanitarian aid and that we set off for Gaza in accordance with international law," said Yazıcı.
He said they tried to make him sign three papers, but since he did not know Hebrew, he refused to sign.
Bekir Develi said activists were subjected to psychological and physical abuse by Israeli soldiers.
The Turkish TV presenter and author said his hands were tightly handcuffed behind his back, resulting in bruising.
Develi said they were given food two days after being detained, but no water was provided for four days, and when they got requested water, they were subjected to physical abuse.
"When we tried to pray, they intervened," he said, adding that his personal belongings, including his money, were stolen by Israeli forces.
“We showed to the world that the blockade can be broken, we demonstrated it by approaching some 36 miles to Gaza with 50 vessels. We brought the aid as far as we could despite the risk of gunfire by Israel. We could not reach Gazans, but for the children, we put toys we were carrying in trash bags and threw them into the sea, praying they would reach them,” he stated.
Mesut Çakar said that after being detained and arriving at the port, they were forced to wait for about an hour in a reverse handcuff position, with their heads on the hot asphalt.
He said that while they were waiting, his friend from the ship, Mustafa Çakmakçı, had his arm broken.
"They did not treat the European nationals there in such a manner. They only displayed humiliating behavior toward Turkish citizens. They stole some of my personal belongings," said Çakar.
He said they were transported in a cramped, cage-like space in a police vehicle for two hours before being taken to an Israeli prison, where they were held in a similar area for two to three hours, denied water, and forced to drink from the toilet tap during their three-day detention.
He said they interrogated and assaulted an Australian citizen.
"Two activists with asthma were struggling to breathe. They were not given any medication. Also, they would wake us up every two hours and move us to different locations in prison," Çakar said.
He said Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the prison, after which officials separated the activists into cages and cells, frequently moving them between areas.
They laughed while smoking cigarettes in front of them and took photos and videos, he added.
Yaşar Yavuz, a journalist, said they managed to ruin Israel’s sanity. Yavuz recalled that he was particularly targeted by Israel as he was a journalist and was deprived of water for three days while he was in detention.
The activist hailed how they felt Türkiye was with them, even when they were en route to Gaza. “We felt Türkiye’s presence there even in Israel. We have a great state,” Yavuz said.
Türkiye assisted the flotilla by air and sea during their journey that began in August. On Sept. 29, Türkiye delivered medicine and humanitarian assistance to the flotilla in the Mediterranean, somewhere between Cyprus and Egypt. Turkish Red Crescent boarded the Turkish navy’s ships to reach the flotilla and deliver the aid. The charity also assisted in the evacuation of some activists aboard Johnny M, a flotilla vessel that malfunctioned and began taking on water. Some activists aboard were transferred to other vessels, while four activists were evacuated to Türkiye. Türkiye also deployed drones in the area to monitor safe evacuation and delivery of humanitarian assistance.
As photos of the Turkish Naval Forces Command's battleships circulated on social media, the Ministry of National Defense confirmed that Türkiye was monitoring the flotilla's journey and promised assistance if needed.
In a written statement on Sept. 30, the ministry said Türkiye was closely following humanitarian aid activities through civilian ships sailing in the Eastern Mediterranean at the moment, to ensure their safe journey as part of “international law and humanitarian values.”
“In this framework, our vessels engaged in routine training and other missions in the region will contribute to humanitarian aid missions in coordination with relevant agencies and international sides if the need arises. Türkiye, as it did in the past, will fulfill its responsibilities under any circumstance and anywhere for the protection of humanitarian values and the safety of innocent civilians,” the statement concluded.
On the same day of the statement, a Turkish frigate evacuated seven activists from a malfunctioning boat of the flotilla and brought them to Türkiye’s port of Marmaris.
When Israel started hijacking boats and illegally detaining activists on Oct. 1 in international waters, Türkiye branded it as an act of terrorism endangering civilian lives. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan instructed authorities to bring activists illegally held by Israel to Türkiye. At the same time, the government contacted other countries to seek assistance in bringing their citizens from Israel. The Foreign Ministry and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) coordinated the efforts to get the illegally held activists to Türkiye aboard a Turkish Airlines plane.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan praised the flotilla on Saturday as "a rare and noble action," urging global support to raise international awareness of the genocide against Palestinians.
"This is a noble action. Creating international awareness to prevent the ongoing genocide in Gaza and to support the Palestinian cause is currently our greatest weapon. Frankly, this is what we are doing in international diplomacy," Fidan told Turkish broadcaster TRT Haber.
After the flotilla set sail, Türkiye established a coordination mechanism with several countries and issued a statement with 17 nations on Sept. 16 to send a unified message and apply international pressure, he said.
Türkiye sent the message that flotilla participants were not alone and noted that navigational safety was crucial after departure, said Fidan, with the Turkish Navy coordinating with aerial surveillance and naval forces in the region, especially from Spain and Italy.
"After these noble activists were detained, we needed to take an operational step as soon as possible to end their captivity," said Fidan.
He said they contacted Israeli authorities and security officials through MIT.
Fidan added that the Turkish charge d'affaires at the local embassy also communicated with authorities, and through the efforts of many behind the scenes, Turkish nationals and some foreign activists, following requests from their countries, were brought to Türkiye on Saturday.
Urging states to support the flotilla "to the fullest extent possible," Fidan said that some activists had remained behind and would face a procedural trial. He has hope they will be released within a few days at the latest.
Stressing that the Turkish government takes the Palestinian issue seriously and follows it with great diligence, Fidan said that President Recep Erdoğan's sensitivity to the matter is at the highest level.
Activist Mustafa Çakmakçı says they suffered a lot after Israel illegally detained them, but they were not daunted. “We will continue our journey with newfound strength now, for the freedom of our brothers and sisters,” he said after arriving in Istanbul on Saturday. “Our wings will be healed and one day, we will fly to freedom again,” he said.
“Think about what we’ve gone through in the past three days, before the very eyes of the world. Then, consider what people in Gaza go through. This should give us courage to move forward to raise our voice,” he said.
Semanur Sönmez Yaman, a deputy director at Women and Democracy Foundation (KADEM), said Israel tried everything to hurt their dignity. She showed off her headscarf, which was originally a T-shirt she had to wear to cover her hair. “The worst part was that they took away our headscarves. They claimed they would conduct a medical check on us and took away our headscarves. My friends gave me their T-shirt so that I could cover my head,” she recounted.
Still, Yaman is undeterred. “I will board another vessel if another flotilla goes there,” she told journalists in Istanbul on Saturday. “We could not reach the shore, but we knew that people lined up after us to board ships for Gaza. Israel’s end is near and this oppression cannot stand,” she said.
Yaman stated that it was significant to have activists from 50 countries aboard the flotilla. “People also became aware of Türkiye’s strength. One day after Israeli drones attacked the flotilla, we felt safe because Turkish drones were flying above us now. Turkish vessels were on the horizon and they never abandoned us. We are grateful,” she said.
Ramazan Tunç, a member of the Turkish delegation of activists in the flotilla, said all activists made sacrifices at the highest level to reach Gaza. “We did it, we did manage to show Israel’s barbaric actions, absolute evil to the world,” he said.
