All detained activists from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla and Freedom Flotilla Coalition have been released from Israel’s Ktziot prison ahead of deportation, Israeli rights group Adalah said Thursday.
In a statement, Adalah said it had received “official confirmation” from the Israeli Prison Service and state officials that all activists held at the detention facility had been released and were being transferred for deportation.
“The majority of the participants are being transferred to Ramon Airport to be flown out of the country,” the group said.
Adalah added that its legal team was “actively monitoring the transit process to ensure that all activists are safely and fully deported without further delay.”
“The majority of the participants are being transferred to Ramon Airport to be flown out of the country,” the group said.
The rights group described the activists’ detention as unlawful, saying “the entire operation, from the unlawful interception in international waters to the systemic torture, humiliation, and arbitrary detention of peaceful activists, constitutes a flagrant violation of international law.”
Meanwhile, Adalah said a hearing was underway at the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court for activist Zohar Regev, who holds Israeli citizenship.
The rights group said Israeli authorities were holding Regev under “unfounded and contradictory accusations” of “illegal entry into Israel,” “unlawful stay,” and attempting to break the Gaza blockade.
It said that Regev had been “forcefully abducted” by the Israeli military from international waters and transferred to Israel “against her will” while attempting to challenge the “unlawful blockade” on Gaza.
Adalah added that its legal team was representing Regev before the court and demanding her “immediate and unconditional release.”
