ISTANBUL 

France reaffirmed on Friday that they are in contact with its 36 nationals detained by Israel after attacking the Gaza-bound Global Sumud aid flotilla.

"Our teams were the first to establish contact with them. ... They are in contact with 36 French nationals and their families to ensure consular protection," French Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux told reporters in a weekly news briefing.

He reminded that, from the first moment, France called on the Israeli authorities to "carry out this interception under the best possible security conditions" so that they can provide consular protection.

"As soon as the French nationals requested it, which they have the right to, we ensured that their release and return to France would be carried out as quickly as possible. I can tell you that our team on the ground, including both the French Embassy and the Consulate General in Tel Aviv, was fully mobilized and working tirelessly through the night," Confavreux further reassured.

He also addressed footage of Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir confronting flotilla activists detained in international waters, labeling them as “terrorists.”

"It is not my role to comment on an Israeli minister who, incidentally, is rather well known for his problematic statements. In this case, we have condemned them several times in the past," Confavreux stressed.

He also reminded that France called on Israeli authorities to respect international maritime law from the very beginning.

Israeli naval forces attacked and seized vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla on Thursday and Friday 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.

The flotilla is an international initiative to break the blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million people, imposed by Israel for almost 18 years.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardments have killed nearly 66,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the enclave and rendered it uninhabitable.