The protest was attended by Welfare Party leader Mahmut Arıkan, members of the Anatolian Youth Association, and numerous other citizens.

The demonstrators carried Palestinian and Turkish flags while chanting slogans in support of the Palestinian people and the activists detained by Israel.

During his speech, Arıkan described the Israeli attack on the flotilla as “an attack against the conscience of humanity” and accused Tel Aviv of continuing to disregard international law.

The opposition leader stated that Israel can detain ships and activists, but it cannot “silence consciences or stop the resistance.”

Israel acknowledged yesterday that it had detained the 430 activists traveling aboard the Resolute Flotilla and confirmed their transfer to Israeli vessels.

According to the flotilla’s crisis operations center, Israeli forces intercepted all participating ships while they were sailing in international waters.

The organization specified that the expedition consisted of 50 vessels and 428 activists from 44 countries, including 78 Turkish citizens and seven others with dual Turkish nationality.

The flotilla had departed last Thursday from the Turkish city of Marmaris in a renewed attempt to break the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza since 2007.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to worsen amid the Israeli offensive and restrictions on the entry of aid.

According to local figures cited by the organizers, more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed and another 172,000 wounded since the start of Israeli military operations, the majority of them women and children.

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