Four Italian citizens have been deported from Israel after they were detained by Israeli authorities when boats sailing in a flotilla carrying aid bound for Gaza were intercepted, Israel’s foreign ministry has said.
More than 470 people were detained, according to Israeli police. The ministry said authorities were in the process of deporting the others.
The deportations come as the last boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) was intercepted by Israeli authorities on Friday morning.
The GSF called Israel’s interceptions illegal, while Israel described the flotilla’s actions as a “provocation”.
The blocking of the flotilla sparked protests around the world, including a general strike in Italy.
The first boats were stopped about 70 nautical miles off the Gaza coast in international waters and others closer. Israel has been policing this area but does not have jurisdiction there.
Israel said its navy had told the boats to change course as they were “approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval blockade”, while the GSF said the interceptions were “illegal”.
In a statement, the Israeli foreign ministry said: “Already four Italian citizens have been deported. The rest are in the process of being deported. Israel is keen to end this procedure as quickly as possible.”
It added that all detainees were safe and in good health. The GSF has alleged that many activists were assaulted with water cannon while their boats were intercepted.
The foreign ministry’s statement mentioned the presence of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg on one of the boats, but did not give further details on her status.
In a statement on Friday morning, the GSF said: “Over 38 hours, Israeli occupation naval forces illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels—each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza.”
It said the last of its boats, the Marinette, was illegally intercepted at 10:29 local time on Friday, approximately 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza in international waters.
“Live streams and communications have been cut, and the status of participants and crew remains unconfirmed,” the GSF said.
“This is an illegal attack on unarmed humanitarians. We call on governments and international institutions to demand their immediate safety and release,” it added.
In a livestream from the Marinette, one passenger was seen holding up a piece of paper to the camera reading “We see a ship!” just before 10:00 local time (8:00 BST).
About half an hour later, a dinghy full of armed troops wearing tactical gear pulled alongside the Marinette, with a much larger military vessel visible in the background.
The latest data on the Marinette, via the flotilla’s tracking website, put it 43 nautical miles (80km) from the Gaza coast at 08:07 BST – shortly before it was boarded.
The majority of the vessels sailing as part of the flotilla are not visible on ship tracking sites reviewed by BBC Verify.
Five of the vessels intercepted on Thursday are now moored at the Israeli Ashdod Naval Base, tracking website Marine Traffic showed on Friday morning.
A statement from the flotilla on Thursday said hundreds of their people had been taken aboard the MSC Johannesburg, a Liberia-flagged container ship, seen 26 nautical miles from Ashdod at the time. This morning it was harboured at the north jetty of Ashdod port, ship tracking information showed.
The BBC has asked the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) whether it plans to return the vessels to their owners and how long those detained will be held.
Additional reporting by Matt Murphy and Richard Irvine-Brown
