ANKARA - Turkiye plans to repatriate 14 of its citizens who were on board the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla from Israel via Jordan on Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli said on Monday, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.
"We are continuing to work to ensure that 14 of our citizens, who are still being held in Israel, can return to our country tomorrow (Oct 7). We expect details of this process to be finalised later today," Keceli wrote on X.
On Oct 4, Turkiye flew 36 citizens home from Israel on a special flight.
The Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla comprised more than 40 vessels and hundreds of activists from the Middle East, Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the United States. On the night of Oct 2, the Israeli Navy began intercepting the vessels of the Sumud Flotilla and redirecting them to the Israeli port of Ashdod, along with the activists, who will later be sent to their countries of origin.
Despite Israeli warnings that they would not be allowed to reach the shores of Gaza, the flotilla tried to breach Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. The Israeli Foreign Ministry viewed these steps as a provocation aimed at creating a negative publicity wave around Israel. - BERNAMA