Israel has deported a further 29 activists detained by the navy last week for taking part in a flotilla that sought to deliver aid to blockaded Gaza, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.
The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the territory where Israel has been waging an offensive since Hamas’ October 2023 attack. Israel says that the blockade is legal and has called the flotilla a provocation.
The release of the activists comes as US secretary of state Marco Rubio said that the war in Gaza has not yet ended despite Israel and Hamas both agreeing to parts of US president Donald Trump’s plan for the strip, as Gazans called for its quick implementation to end their suffering.
Israel has so far deported at least 170 of the more than 450 activists it detained. The government has faced accusations of mistreatment, including allegations that some activists were denied access to their lawyers – claims that the foreign ministry denies.
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The foreign ministry on Sunday said that the legal rights of the activists were being “fully upheld” and that some had chosen not to sign deportation orders waiving their right to a 72-hour delay, which would have allowed them to be deported sooner.
Adalah, a legal centre in Israel representing the activists, said some of those detained have alleged abuse and physical violence while in Israeli custody. Other accusations of mistreatment include being denied medical treatment and medication, and in one case, a Muslim woman was allegedly forced to remove her hijab and was offered a shirt as a replacement.
Asked about the allegations, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson accused Adalah of “repeating outright lies”.
Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the flotilla as a stunt. As it sailed closer, Israel offered to transfer to Gaza the aid the flotilla was carrying in co-ordination with a foreign government.
Israel’s foreign ministry has said that a “small quantity” of aid had been carried by the flotilla.
The flotilla organisers have said that claims it was carrying “little to no humanitarian aid” were false.
A new flotilla comprising 11 vessels is attempting to make its way to Gaza, including a vessel carrying medics and journalists.
Meanwhile on Sunday, Mr Rubio told NBC News about the release of hostages from Gaza that “we will know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not by how these technical talks go in terms of the logistics.
Hamas had drawn a welcoming response from Mr Trump on Friday by saying it accepted certain key parts of his 20-point proposal, including ending the war, Israel’s withdrawal, and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian captives.
But the group left some issues up for further negotiation at talks in Egypt, as well as questions unanswered, such as whether it would be willing to disarm, a key demand from Israel to end the war.
[ Israeli delegation heads to Egypt to discuss plan to end war in GazaOpens in new window ]
An official briefed on the talks said the negotiations will focus on hammering out a comprehensive deal before a ceasefire can be implemented.
The plan has stirred hopes for peace among Palestinians but there was no let up of Israeli attacks on Gaza on Sunday as planes and tanks pounded areas across the enclave, killing at least 16 people, local health authorities said.
Israel’s campaign, which has killed more than 67,000 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to Gaza health authorities, has led to its international isolation.
Domestically, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu is caught between growing pressure to end the war – from hostage families and a war-weary public – and demands from hardline members of his coalition who insist there must be no let-up in Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said on X that halting attacks on Gaza would be a “grave mistake”. – Reuters
