Ministry spokesman Oncu Keçali explained in a post on the X platform that 36 Turkish citizens who were aboard the fleet's ships returned safely to the country via a special flight on October 4, adding that work is underway to secure the return of 14 others via Jordan on Tuesday, with details of the process expected to become clearer during the day.
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that his government was transferring the activists of the Global Steadfastness Flotilla, who are being held by Israel, to Turkey. This came in a speech during his participation in an event to inaugurate projects and lay the foundation stone for other projects in Istanbul.
President Erdogan pointed out that the plane transporting his country's activists included not only Turks but activists from many other countries as well.
A Turkish Airlines plane carrying activists from the Global Steadfastness Flotilla, who were attacked and detained by Israel in international waters, landed at Istanbul Airport last Saturday.
Last Wednesday, the Israeli occupation forces seized 42 ships belonging to the Steadfastness Flotilla while they were sailing in international waters toward Gaza on a humanitarian mission. Hundreds of international activists were arrested on board, before beginning their deportation on Friday.
These developments come as Israel, with US support, has continued its war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. The war has so far left more than 67,000 dead and approximately 170,000 wounded, most of them children and women, in addition to a severe humanitarian crisis that has claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians from starvation.
