Turkish diplomats meet two Turkish nationals from Madleen aid flotilla
Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said that Turkish diplomats met with two Turkish citizens from the Madleen aid flotilla this morning.
The sources added that Turkey is providing consular services to its citizens and informing their relatives of their current condition.
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Dubai Eye
12 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Israel set to deport Greta Thunberg, other activists, ministry says
Greta Thunberg and other pro-Palestinian activists have been taken to Tel Aviv airport ahead of their deportation, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, after the Israeli navy prevented them from sailing to Gaza. Israeli forces boarded the charity vessel as it neared Gaza early on Monday, trying to break through a years-old naval blockade of the coastal enclave, and seized the 12-strong crew, including Swedish campaigner Thunberg. The British-flagged yacht was taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod and the foreign ministry said the activists were transferred overnight to Ben Gurion airport. "Some of the 'Selfie Yacht' passengers are expected to leave within the next few hours," the ministry said in a statement. "Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorise their deportation." Consular representatives from the passengers' home countries met them at the airport, it added. The activists had been carrying a small cargo of humanitarian aid, including rice and baby formula, and said they wanted to raise international awareness about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been devastated by months of war. Israel dismissed the voyage as a pro-Hamas publicity stunt. 'The tiny amount of aid that was on the yacht and not consumed by the 'celebrities' will be transferred to Gaza through real humanitarian channels,' the Foreign Ministry said. Thunberg accused Israel of kidnapping her in international waters. "I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible," she said in a video that was recorded ahead of the Israeli navy action. US President Donald Trump dismissed Thunberg's claim of being kidnapped. 'I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg,' he said. 'She's a young, angry person... I think she has to go to an anger management class.' Israel has imposed a naval blockade on the coastal enclave since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, saying it aims to stop weapons from reaching Hamas. The blockade has remained in place through conflicts including the war, which began when Hamas-led fighters rampaged through southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Hamas-run Gaza, and destroyed most of the homes of its 2.3 million residents.
Middle East Eye
17 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Israel deports Greta Thunberg, continues to detain eight Madleen activists
Climate activist Greta Thunberg has been deported from Israel after she was detained by Israeli forces aboard a charity boat bound for Gaza with aid, the Israel foreign ministry said on Tuesday. 'Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France),' the ministry said in a statement on X, accompanied by two photos of the activist on a plane. Video footage circulated by Israel media of Thunberg on the plane showed an Israeli man calling her a French slur. Thunberg was a member of the 12-strong crew of activists aboard the Madleen that set sail on 1 June from Italy with the intention of breaking Israel's total siege on Gaza. In the early hours of Monday morning, Israeli forces stormed the boat, taking the activists to the port of Ashdod and detaining them. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters In the immediate aftermath of the seizure, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which organised the voyage, said they were 'urgently' trying to locate the activists after the boat was 'illegally' intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that he had instructed Israeli forces to 'show the flotilla passengers the video of the horrors of the October 7 massacre'. Israeli broadcaster Kan reported that four of the 12 activists are expected to be deported on Tuesday, adding that eight of them had refused to sign their deportation papers, delaying their departure. 'Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorise their deportation,' the Israeli foreign ministry wrote on X. The FFC said that the remaining eight activists were 'expected to be moved to the Ramleh detention facility unless they agree to leave immediately'. 'We continue to demand the immediate release of all volunteers and the return of the stolen aid. Their detention is unlawful and a violation of international law,' the coalition added. Israeli rights group, Adalah, who represents the activists said that they met with them late last night, following 'multiple requests' for access. The group added that the remaining eight activists will contest their deportation before an Israeli tribunal. Adalah lawyers are currently en route to Givon Prison in Ramleh, where the volunteers are being held, to represent them at the hearings.
Gulf Today
18 hours ago
- Gulf Today
VIDEO: Israel deports Greta Thunberg after intercepting Gaza-bound aid boat
Activist Greta Thunberg was deported from Israel on Tuesday, the country's Foreign Ministry said, a day after the Gaza-bound ship she was on was seized by the Israeli military. Thunberg left on a flight to France and was then headed to her home country of Sweden, Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a post on X. It posted a photo of Thunberg, who shuns air travel, seated on a plane. Thunberg was one of 12 passengers on the Madleen, a ship carrying aid to Gaza that was meant to protest Israel's ongoing war there and shed light on the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the group behind the journey. Israeli naval forces seized the boat without incident early Monday about 200 kilometers (125 miles) off of Gaza's coast, according to the coalition, which along with rights groups, said Israel's actions were a violation of international law. Israel rejects that charge because it says such ships intend to breach what it says is a lawful naval blockade of Gaza. The boat, accompanied by Israel's navy, arrived in the Israeli port of Ashdod Monday evening, according to Israel's Foreign Ministry. Adalah, a legal rights group in Israel representing the activists, said Thunberg, two other activists and a journalist had agreed to be deported and leave Israel. The other eight activists refused deportation, were being held in detention and their case was set to be heard by Israeli authorities, Adalah said. The activists were expected to be brought before a court later Tuesday, the group added. Sabine Haddad, a spokeswoman for Israel's Interior Ministry, said the activists who were being deported Tuesday had waived their right to appear before a judge. Those who did not will face one and will be held for 96 hours before being deported. Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was also among the volunteers on board. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians. It was not immediately clear whether she was being immediately deported or detained. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Tuesday that one of the detained French activists signed an expulsion order and will leave Israel on Tuesday for France. The other five refused. He said all the activists received consular visits. On Monday, Adalah, the rights group, said that Israel had "no legal authority" to take over the ship, because the group said it was in international waters and it was headed not to Israel but to the "territorial waters of the state of Palestine." Amnesty International said Israel was flouting international law with the naval raid and called on Israel to release the activists immediately and unconditionally. "The arrest of the unarmed activists, who operated in a civilian manner to provide humanitarian aid, amounts to a serious breach of international law," Adalah said in a statement. Israel viewed the ship as a publicity stunt, calling it the "selfie yacht." Israeli officials said that the flotilla was bringing "meager" aid with what amounted to less than a truckload of goods. Associated Press
