Thirty-six Turks and nationals from 12 other countries arrived in İstanbul on Saturday on a special flight to Turkey after Israel stopped a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and detained hundreds of people, local media reported.
Among the passengers were nationals of the United States, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia and Jordan.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed that 26 Italians were on board the flight.
Turkey has called the Israeli interception “an act of terrorism” and on Thursday said it had opened an investigation after Israeli forces apprehended Turkish citizens on board the flotilla ships.
Israel blocked similar attempts to reach the Gaza Strip in June and July.
The Global Sumud Flotilla of around 45 vessels began its voyage last month, with politicians and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg heading to Gaza, where the United Nations says famine has set in due to Israel’s blockade.
The Israeli navy has intercepted numerous vessel at sea since Wednesday.
The flotilla organizers have branded Israel’s interceptions as “illegal” since the vessels were in international waters.
Participants and NGOs have accused Israel of mistreatment, asserting that some detainees were forced to kneel with zip ties for hours and denied access to basic necessities such as water and medication.
Turkey has launched a judicial inquiry into the detention of its citizens aboard the flotilla.