Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has said that activists abducted by Israeli forces from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla will be disembarked on the Greek coast in the coming hours.
In a statement on X on Thursday, Saar said the decision comes "in coordination with the Greek government," after Israeli forces raided the flotilla in international waters near the island of Crete, an act dubbed by Turkish Foreign Ministry and activists as "an act of piracy".
The flotilla, part of the Spring 2026 mission of the Global Sumud Flotilla, had departed from Sicily, Italy, on Sunday, carrying humanitarian aid aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
According to flotilla officials, the vessels carried 345 participants from 39 countries, including Turkish nationals.
Saar claimed that all participants removed from the boats "were taken off unharmed" and had been transferred to an Israeli vessel ahead of their return.
Türkiye, Spain lambast Israel
Earlier on Thursday, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza said Israel had "kidnapped and unlawfully detained" between 178 and 180 activists after attacking 22 boats in the flotilla.
The committee held Greece "directly responsible" given that the raid occurred within its maritime scope, and called on Athens to "act immediately to ensure the safety of the vessels and prevent further attacks."
Meanwhile, extremist Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir criticised his government's decision to release the flotilla participants, saying such a move "sends a message of weakness to Israel's enemies," according to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Since 2005, Israel has maintained a harsh blockade on Gaza by land, sea, and air. It further tightened the blockade during its genocide in the besieged Palestinian enclave, which began in October 2023.
During the genocide, conservative estimates indicate that Israel killed nearly 75,000 Palestinians, displaced virtually the entire 2.3 million population, and now occupies more than half the coastal territory.
The current aid mission marks the second initiative by the Global Sumud Flotilla, following a previous attempt in September 2025 that ended with an Israeli piracy in high seas and the abduction of hundreds of international activists.
The illegal Israeli raid on the flotilla has been condemned by nations worldwide, including Türkiye, Pakistan, Spain, Colombia, South Africa and others.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed the Israeli piracy over the phone with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares Bueno.
Madrid summoned the Israeli charge d'affaires "to convey its strongest condemnation of the detention of the flotilla," which included Spanish citizens, the ministry said in a statement.
