Key Points
- Deportation procedure ongoing for the remaining activists
- Malaysia seeks Türkiye’s help to repatriate volunteers
- Dire health crisis for mothers and babies in Gaza
- Gaza death toll surpasses 66,200
ISLAMABAD: Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Friday said it had deported four Italian citizens who joined the Global Sumud Flotilla and is preparing to deport the remaining activists following an Israeli attack.
In a statement on the X, the ministry said that “procedures are underway to finalise the deportation of the participants,” adding that four Italians had already been expelled and others are “in the process of being deported.”
The ministry did not release the names of those deported.
Israeli naval forces intercepted an international aid flotilla, detaining more than 450 activists from 42 boats, flotilla organizers confirmed.
Earlier, the Global Sumud Flotilla called on Israel to release all its activists, several of whom have entered “an open-ended hunger strike” since being seized.
The group pledged the seizures would not mark the end of their mission. “Our determination to confront Israel’s atrocities and stand with the Palestinian people remains unshaken,” it said.
According to the International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza (ICBSG), one vessel, Marinette, remains at sea but is still far from Gaza after delays caused by technical malfunctions. The rest of the flotilla — participants from 47 countries, including Spain, Italy, Turkey, Brazil, the US, and the UK — was towed to Ashdod Port in southern Israel, from where detainees will be deported.
Malaysia seeks Turkiye’s help to bring home volunteers
Malaysia has requested Turkiye’s assistance in repatriating its volunteers who were aboard the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), which was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he had asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to facilitate the return of the Malaysian nationals to Istanbul via a special aircraft, according to a report by state news agency Bernama.
UK police urge cancellation of pro-Palestine protest
British police have called on organisers to cancel or postpone a planned pro-Palestine protest in London this weekend, in the wake of a deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester.
In a statement on X, the Metropolitan Police said they were keen to deploy all available officers to protect vulnerable communities. However, they are instead being required to prepare for a demonstration of over 1,000 people in Trafalgar Square on Saturday, organised in support of Palestine Action—an organisation that was banned in July.
Situation for mothers and babies worse
Mothers and newborn babies in Gaza face dire conditions as Nasser hospital in the south of the enclave is overwhelmed with patients fleeing the north and medical resources running out, UNICEF said.
“The situation for mothers and newborns in Gaza has never been worse. In Nasser hospital, we’re seeing hospital corridors lined with women who’ve just given birth,” UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters in Geneva via video link from Gaza.
Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza’s 2.4 million residents for nearly 18 years, a siege further tightened in March. Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed more than 66,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza health authorities.
