Israel steps up deportations of flotilla activistspublished at 14:11 BST
14:11 BST
Last week, hundreds of activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, were detained by Israeli forces after a flotilla carrying aid bound for Gaza was intercepted.
Israeli authorities arrested about 470 people as dozens of vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) were stopped by Israeli forces from reaching Gaza. Israel has deported several of them since the arrests.
Monday: Israel deports Greta Thunberg and 170 other activists. Those deported are citizens of Greece, Italy, France, Ireland, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, Slovakia, Switzerland, Norway, the UK, Serbia, and the United States.
Last Sunday: Israel deports 29 people from Israel to Spain, they are Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch.
Last Saturday: Israel deports 137 detainees to Turkey. Among those deported were citizens of the US, Italy, UK, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Algeria, Mauritania, Malaysia, Bahrain, Morocco, Switzerland, Tunisia, and Turkey.
Last Friday: Israel deports four Italian citizens.
The first boats carrying aid for Palestinians, as well as the activists, were stopped about 70 nautical miles off the Gaza coast in international waters and others closer. Israel has been policing this area but does not have jurisdiction there.
Israel said its navy told the boats to change course as they were “approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval blockade”, while the GSF described the interceptions as “illegal”.
The group said Israel’s response was “not an act of defence”, but “a brazen act of desperation”.