TRTWorld  April 30, 2026

Israel announces decision after its forces “kidnapped and unlawfully detained” some 180 activists in Mediterranean Sea after attacking their 22 boats aiming to break Israel’s Gaza blockade.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has said that activists abducted by Israeli forces from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla will be disembarked on the Greek coast in the coming hours.

In a statement on X on Thursday, Saar said the decision comes “in coordination with the Greek government,” after Israeli forces raided the flotilla in international waters near the island of Crete, an act dubbed by Turkish Foreign Ministry and activists as “an act of piracy”.

The flotilla, part of the Spring 2026 mission of the Global Sumud Flotilla, had departed from Sicily, Italy, on Sunday, carrying humanitarian aid aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade on Gaza.

According to flotilla officials, the vessels carried 345 participants from 39 countries, including Turkish nationals.

Saar claimed that all participants removed from the boats “were taken off unharmed” and had been transferred to an Israeli vessel ahead of their return.

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