More than 130 activists who were detained by Israel while taking part in an aid flotilla bound for Gaza have been deported to Turkey, the Israeli foreign ministry said Saturday.
The agency said online that the 137 activists were from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy. Four Italian activists were deported on Friday. The foreign ministry said that Israel “seeks to expedite the deportation” of those detained from the flotilla.
The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from Spain last month, with politicians and activists, including Greta Thunberg, aboard. Nearly 50 vessels and 500 activists took part, CBS News previously reported. It was the largest attempt yet to break Israel’s 18-year-long maritime blockade of Gaza, and aimed to bring food to Palestinians in the territory. Multiple drone attacks approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu targeted the flotilla as it sailed toward the territory, CBS News previously reported.
Most of the flotilla was intercepted by Israeli forces on Thursday. World leaders condemned the action, with Turkey’s foreign ministry calling it a breach of international law. The vessels were sailing in international waters when they were intercepted, CBS News previously reported. The final boat in the flotilla was intercepted on Friday, the Associated Press reported.
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila sit in a vessel making its way to Israel, after Israeli forces intercepted some of the vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla that were aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, in a handout image provided by Israel’s government on Oct. 2, 2025. / Credit: ISRAEL FOREIGN MINISTRY/Handout via Reuters
Israel’s foreign ministry called the detained activists “provocateurs,” and said that some of them were “deliberately obstructing the legal deportation process, preferring instead to linger in Israel.” The ministry also said that some foreign governments “have shown reluctance to accept flights that would return these provocateurs.” Israel did not specify which activists were resisting deportation, or which countries were hesitating to accept flights.
Israel’s government has also accused some of the flotilla members of being linked to Hamas, while providing little evidence to support the claim. Members of the flotilla have strongly rejected the accusations and said Israel was trying to justify potential attacks on them.
Supporters of the flotilla took to the streets in major demonstrations around the world starting Thursday, according to the Associated Press. More than 2 million people in Italy took part in a one-day general strike meant to support Gazans on Friday. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend a protest in Rome on Saturday.
In Spain, 70,000 people turned out for a demonstration in Barcelona. Events are also expected in Madrid and Lisbon, Portugal, the AP said. Officials in Greece are expecting protests in Athens on Saturday and Sunday.
Demonstrators hold a banner with writing reading in Catalan
Meanwhile, Hamas said in a statement Friday that it agreed to parts of a ceasefire deal President Trump outlined earlier this week. A U.S. official told CBS News that the United States views Hamas’ response as positive, though there are still details that need to be hammered out. Netanyahu agreed to the deal on Monday. After Hamas released its statement, Mr. Trump said on Truth Social that he believes the group is “ready for a lasting PEACE” and pushed Israel to “immediately stop the bombing of Gaza.”
An official who was not authorized to speak to the media on the record told the Associated Press that Israel has moved to a defensive-only position in Gaza and will not actively strike. The official said no forces have been removed from the strip.
Israel and Hamas have been at war since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Since then, Israel has waged an intense aerial bombardment and ground campaign in the Gaza Strip. More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not specify how many of the dead were civilians or militants.
Some 50 hostages are still in Gaza, fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive, according to Israeli authorities.
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