Tel Aviv: Israeli occupation authorities transferred activists from the Break the Siege ship to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv early Tuesday, in preparation for their deportation to their respective countries. This move follows the seizure of the ship by the Israeli Navy and its subsequent escort to the port of Ashdod.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, the transfer process involved activists who were part of the Madleen Gaza Freedom Flotilla. Four of the activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, agreed to sign a voluntary departure document. However, eight other activists, including Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament for France, refused to sign the document. Hassan had previously been deported from Israel upon her arrival at Ben Gurion Airport.
The activists who refused to sign the voluntary departure document are currently detained at the Givon Center for illegal residents, according to Israeli authorities. They are being held for a period of 96 hours, after which they will be deported with or without their consent.
The Israeli army intercepted the Madleen ship at dawn on the previous day. The ship was carrying international activists and others expressing solidarity with the Gaza Strip, intending to break the blockade imposed on the region. During the interception, the ship was surrounded by Israeli gunboats, and drones hovered overhead at low altitudes, which heightened tensions among the protesters on board, as reported in a previous live broadcast.
