The activists arrived on a scheduled Air Europa flight from Tel Aviv. Twenty-one of them were Spaniards, while the rest were from Portugal and the Netherlands.
They were greeted at Adolfo Suárez Barajas Airport by a crowd of supporters, including prominent political figures such as former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, Spanish Health Minister Mónica García Márquez, and Podemos leader Ione Belarra, as well as members of the local parliament and left-wing parties.
Participants in the reception held up slogans such as "Free Palestine," "Netanyahu is a criminal," and "Occupied Israel." Minister Garcia condemned what she described as the "illegal kidnapping" of the activists, affirming her support for the demonstrations that took place in Spain in rejection of what she described as "genocide in Gaza."
For her part, Belara described Israel as a "terrorist state," and called for severing ties with it and the immediate release of all detainees.
Media reports indicated that those released signed a document imposed by Israeli authorities acknowledging their "illegal" entry, while 28 Spaniards refused to sign and remain in detention.
In this regard, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares affirmed that Madrid monitors the conditions of its citizens daily, including providing them with food and healthcare, noting that some of them enjoy parliamentary immunity.
Demonstrations in Europe and sit-ins in Tunisia
In the Netherlands, Amsterdam witnessed a massive demonstration on Sunday, attended by approximately 250,000 people, protesting the government's pro-Israel policies and rejecting what they described as "genocide in Gaza."
Protesters held up banners calling for a boycott of Israel and an end to military and political support for it, claiming the rally was the largest in the country's history in support of Palestine.
In Tunisia, activists continue their open-ended sit-in in front of the US embassy in the capital for the third consecutive day, demanding the release of detainees from the "Resilience Flotilla," including Tunisians.
Jawaher Shanna, a member of the Maghreb Flotilla's steering committee, confirmed that lawyers were finally able to visit all Tunisian participants in Israeli prisons, noting that they were doing well despite their ongoing open-ended hunger strike.
On Wednesday, Israel seized 42 ships from the "Global Steadfastness Flotilla" and arrested hundreds of international activists, before beginning to deport some of them on Friday.
Earlier on Sunday, 10 Tunisian activists arrived at Carthage International Airport after being released, while 15 others remain in detention.
The Maghreb Fleet confirmed that all activists have been issued with deportation orders and will be released gradually. It emphasized the continuation of the sit-ins until all participants return to their home countries.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, leaving 67,139 martyrs and 169,583 wounded, most of them children and women, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 460 Palestinians, including 154 children.
