Turkey is closely monitoring the status of its citizens aboard the Gaza-bound aid vessel Madleen, which was seized by Israeli naval forces in international waters on Monday, according to Turkish diplomatic sources cited by the Anadolu news agency.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said officials from its embassy in Tel Aviv visited the detainees late Monday evening after the boat was brought to Israel’s Ashdod port.
Consular support has been extended to the Turkish nationals, and their families have been kept informed of the situation, the sources said.
The Madleen, an 18-meter (59-foot) yacht operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, set sail on June 1 from the San Giovanni Li Cuti port in Catania, Italy.
Hüseyin Şuayb Ordu, a Turkish national, and German-Turkish dual national Yasemin Acar, were aboard the ship.
The Madleen’s mission was to deliver humanitarian aid and symbolically challenge the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, which international organizations warn is creating famine conditions for over 2.3 million Palestinians.
Aboard the ship were 12 activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, French Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan and volunteers from Spain, Brazil, the Netherlands and France as well as Turkey.
The crew had publicly declared their intention to remain peaceful and nonresistant in the event of Israeli intervention.
On June 9 Israeli naval commandos boarded the Madleen in international waters, taking control of the ship and towing it to Ashdod after an 18-hour standoff.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that the activists have since been transferred to Ben Gurion Airport and are being deported to their home countries.
Those who refused to sign a deportation compliance form, officials said, would face a judge for mandatory removal proceedings.
The ministry also claimed that several of the activists declined to watch an Israeli government-produced film about the October 7 Hamas attacks, which was presented during detention.
Israeli officials referred to some of the volunteers as “antisemitic activists” and accused them of refusing to acknowledge the trauma suffered by Israelis.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir ordered a media blackout inside the detention centers, barring detainees from accessing communication devices, according to the local press.
An NGO, cited by Anadolu, reported that the vessel remained under military tow long after initial contact, with Israeli forces refusing to allow it to proceed to Gaza.
The seizure of the Madleen has sparked criticism from Turkish officials and opposition lawmakers, who accuse Israel of piracy and human rights violations and have called on the Turkish government to act decisively in defense of its citizens.
International observers, including UN officials, human rights organizations and governments across Europe, have condemned the interception and called for the release of the activists and the lifting of the blockade on Gaza.