Israel says deported 4 Italian activists from Gaza aid Flotilla

Four Italian activists from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud aid flotilla have been deported, Israel's Foreign Ministry said Friday, while hundreds of other participants from the humanitarian mission remain in detention following an Israeli attack.

In a statement on the US social media company X, the ministry said that "procedures are underway to finalize 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 attacked and seized vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla on Thursday and detained more than 450 activists from over 50 countries. The flotilla had been attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel's blockade of the enclave.

Israel has maintained the blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, for almost 18 years.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed over 66,000 Palestinians in the enclave, most of them women and children, and rendered it all but uninhabitable, with the blockade also pushing Gaza to a state of famine, with medicine and medical supplies in short supply.