During a press conference held in the city of Izmir, ministry spokesman Zeki Aktürk stated that the flotilla was organized to express solidarity with the Palestinian people and deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

The Turkish official also called on the international community to assume its responsibility to end the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave and stop Israeli violations.

Israel acknowledged yesterday, through a statement from its Foreign Ministry, the capture of 430 activists from the flotilla and their transfer to Israeli vessels.

According to Tel Aviv, the activists will be taken to Israel, where they will be able to meet with consular representatives from their respective countries. The Crisis Operations Center of the Resolute Flotilla denounced that Israeli forces acted “illegally” against all participating ships while they were sailing in international waters.

The organization specified that the last vessel intercepted was the Lina Nabulsi and detailed that the flotilla consisted of 50 boats and 428 activists from 44 countries, including 78 Turkish citizens and seven others with dual Turkish nationality.

The expedition departed last Thursday from the Turkish city of Marmaris with the aim of challenging the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza since 2007.

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