JERUSALEM: Israel said on Thursday it had deported all the foreign activists seized by Israeli forces from a Gaza-bound flotilla, following global outcry over their treatment in custody.
More than 430 activists from countries around the world had been placed in detention in Israel after they were intercepted at sea on Monday 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 widespread condemnation and diplomatic backlash on Wednesday by posting a video showing the detained activists with their hands tied and foreheads on the ground.
Israel’s foreign ministry spokesman, Oren Marmorstein, said on Thursday that “all foreign activists from the PR flotilla have been deported from Israel.”
He added: “Israel will not permit any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza.”
