Israel He deported the first of hundreds of detainees of an aid flot to Gaza on Friday, shortly after intercepting the last ship of that group of activists.
The Sumud Global Flotilla (“Resilience” in Arabic) departed in September from Barcelona with activists such as Greta Thunberg and political personalities, with the intention of helping this Palestinian territory that, according to the UN, suffers a famine.
However, Israel imposes a naval blockade Around this enclave, where for almost two years a war against Hamas unleashed after the attack of that Palestinian Islamist movement to Israeli territory on October 7, 2023.
The Israeli Marina He began on Wednesday to intercept ships already stop their hundreds of activists, from dozens of countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico or Spain.
Swedish activist Thunberg, the former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, the Brazilian Thiago Ávila and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela, are some of the participants in the initiative.
“More than 470 flotilla participants were arrested by the Military Police, subject to rigorous controls, and transferred to the penitentiary administration,” said the police.
Deportations began on Friday, the Foreign Ministry announced, which had already pointed out that activists would be expelled to European countries.
“Four Italian citizens have already been deported. The rest are in the process of being deported. Israel wants to finish this procedure as soon as possible,” said the Foreign Ministry in a statement in X.
“‘Marinette’, the last ship remaining from the Global Sumudhe was intercepted at 10:29 hours (time), at approximately 42.5 nautical miles of Gaza, “the Telegram flotilla reported.
Repatriation of Mexicans and Colombians
The Government of Mexico reported Friday that it already dialogues with Israeli authorities about the situation of six Mexicans who were in the flotilla, after President Claudia Sheinbaum asked a day before his immediate return.
“The six agreed to their voluntary repatriation to Mexico, so the corresponding efforts began immediately (…) so that the repatriation proceeds as soon as possible,” said the Foreign Ministry in a statement.
The newsletter said that a seventh Mexican who was traveling in a boat where a legal support team was not detailing if she was arrested.
The Colombian government of President Gustavo Petroa hard critic of Israel and his war in Gaza, informed that his manager of consular functions in Tel Aviv made a visit to the detention center where the two Colombian activists arrested in the flotilla are.
“The nationals expressed concerns about their conditions, including lack of food in the last 48 hours and limitations in access to drinking water. They also reported having been submitted to procedures that affected their dignity and physical well -being,” he denounced.
The two women “signed a document” for an expedited deportation procedure, Bogotá added.
The Organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also indicated that among the detainees there were more than 20 media journalists such as the Spanish newspaper El País, the Catarí El Jazeera and the Italian public television Rai.
Global protests
The interception of the flotilla triggered demonstrations in Brasilia, Buenos Aires, Paris, Rome, Tunisia or Berlin.
In Barcelona, from where the ship group left, about 15,000 people marched singing slogans such as “Gaza, you are not alone”, “Boicot Israel” or “Freedom for Palestine”.
In Italy, whose government had criticized the members of the group, the unions organized on Friday a general strike that caused cancellations and delays in the rail network.
Israel has branded some activists as anti -Semitists, including Thunberg, and Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahuapplauded the interception of ships.
“His important action prevented dozens of boats from entering the war zone and repelled a delegitimization campaign against Israel,” he said.
The attack of the Islamist commands of October 7, 2023 caused the death of 1,219 people in Israel, mostly civil, according to a balance of the AFP based on official sources.
The Israeli offensive in retaliation has killed at least 66,288 people in the Gaza Strip, also civilly, according to data from the Gazati Ministry of Health, governed by Hamas, which the UN considers reliable.
