The Government of Israel reported this Thursday the expulsion of "all foreign activists" who were traveling in the last flotilla intercepted by the Israeli Navy in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea, among them several dozens of Spaniards, when they were heading towards the coast of the Gaza Strip.
"All foreign activists from the public relations flotilla have been deported from Israel," the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a brief message published via social media. "Israel will not allow any violation of its legal naval blockade of the Gaza Strip," it added.
The Adalah collective of jurists indicated early in the day that it had received "official confirmation" from Israel regarding the release of all those arrested, who have left the Ktziot detention center to proceed with their deportation. It then specified that an Israeli activist had been brought before a judge "under unfounded and contradictory accusations of 'illegal entry into Israel,' 'illegal stay,' and attempting to break the blockade of Gaza."
Among the deported individuals are more than 40 Spanish citizens, who could be expelled from Israel via Turkey, as explained this same Thursday by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares. For its part, Ankara has confirmed the dispatch of planes to collaborate in the evacuation operation.
The releases occur one day after the wave of international reproaches against Israel's National Security Minister, the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir, who on Wednesday disseminated a video in which he reprimands and humiliates the activists of the flotilla intercepted in international waters of the Mediterranean.
In the images, Ben Gvir is seen waving an Israeli flag and walking among handcuffed and kneeling activists in the port of Ashdod, where they were transferred by the Navy after the capture of the flotilla. "This is how we receive those who support terrorism. Welcome to Israel," he said.
The video also shows dozens of activists on their knees, with their heads pressed to the ground and surrounded by armed officers, while the Israeli anthem plays over the loudspeaker. Likewise, the transfer of several of them is seen, handcuffed and with their gaze down, scenes that have sparked criticism even within the Israeli Government itself.