Hundreds of activists seized by Israel from a Gaza-bound flotilla were awaiting deportation on Thursday, as global outcry grows over their treatment in custody.More than 430 activists from countries around the world were in custody in Israel after they were detained at sea while making the latest in a string of attempts to break the blockade of the Palestinian territory.
Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked condemnation on Wednesday by posting a video showing the detained activists with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground.
Captioned "Welcome to Israel", the footage showed Ben Gvir heckling and waving an Israeli flag among the detained activists.
On Thursday, the legal centre representing the activists said the flotilla members were "en route for deportation" from Ramon Airport in Israel's far south.
"The majority of the participants are being transferred to Ramon Airport to be flown out of the country," Adalah said in a statement, adding that the activists had been held at Israel's Ktziot prison, in the Negev Desert near Gaza.
