Israel deports first activists from Gaza aid flotilla

JERUSALEM:

Israel on Friday deported four Italian activists, the first of hundreds detained from an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, shortly after the interception of the group's final boat brought an end to its mission.

The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail last month, ferrying politicians and activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg towards Gaza, where the United Nations says famine is taking hold.

The Israeli navy began intercepting the boats on Wednesday, and an Israeli official said the following day that boats with more than 400 people on board had been prevented from reaching the Palestinian territory.

The military said Friday that the navy had stopped all 42 of the fleet's vessels "in an operation that lasted approximately 12 hours", and transferred flotilla members to Israel's Ashdod Port for processing by police.

Israel's foreign ministry said it deported four Italian activists who were aboard the flotilla, adding that "the rest are in the process of being deported".

Israeli police said "more than 470 flotilla participants were taken into custody by the military police, subjected to rigorous screening, and transferred to the prison administration".

Authorities earlier said that none of the vessels had breached the maritime blockade of Gaza.

"Marinette, the last remaining boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla, was intercepted at 10:29 am (0729 GMT) local time, approximately 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza," the flotilla's organisers said on Telegram.

They added that Israeli naval forces had "illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels -- each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza".

Among those detained were more than 20 journalists, according to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), including reporters from Spain's El Pais, Qatar's Al Jazeera and Italy's public broadcaster RAI.

"Arresting journalists and preventing them from doing their work is a serious violation of the right to inform and be informed," said Martin Roux, head of RSF's crisis desk.

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said on X Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to deport the activists was "a mistake".