Israel detains 18 Turkish citizens from Gaza aid flotilla

The Turkish delegation at the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla on Thursday told Anadolu that Israeli forces have detained 18 Turkish nationals after intercepting the fleet in international waters more than 600 nautical miles from Gaza, a few miles off Greek territorial waters.

Israeli forces surrounded the boats off the coast of the Greek island of Crete late Wednesday and carried out a raid, detaining more than 170 activists on board, the Turkish delegation told Anadolu.

The detained Turkish nationals and their vessels are as follows: Mustafa Enes Topal, Muhammed Ozdem, Ali Deniz, Yunus Kava, Sahin Yaslik, Mustafa Arslan, Abdulselam Demir, Nevzat Oylek, Nevzat Guzel, Halil Erdogmus, Abdullatif Fasli, Huseyin Suayb Ordu, Mahmut Akay, Gorkem Duru, Mehmet Atli, Mukremin Kose, Ramazan Tekdemir, and Mahmut Cagatay Yavuz.

The Israeli navy intercepted vessels from the flotilla late Wednesday as they headed toward Gaza to break a longstanding blockade on the enclave.

The group said Israeli forces surrounded the convoy in international waters near the Greek island of Crete, jammed communications, and seized 21 vessels, adding that 17 vessels managed to escape and enter Greek waters following the incident.

The flotilla, carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, aims to break Israel's blockade and open a humanitarian corridor by sea.

The move came hours after Hebrew media reported that Israel was preparing to intercept the flotilla, which includes around 100 boats in total carrying nearly 1,000 activists from several countries.

Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving about 1.5 million Palestinians out of roughly 2.4 million homeless after their homes were destroyed during the war.