The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla was “an act of piracy committed by the genocidal Netanyahu government.”
“This assault on civilian activists, including Turkish citizens and members of parliament, constitutes a grave violation of international law,” the ministry declared.
It said Israel’s aggression against humanitarian missions “targets all efforts that uphold humanitarian values and employ peaceful means,” adding that such criminal actions “escalate regional tensions and sabotage every attempt toward lasting peace.”
The statement affirmed that “all necessary steps have been taken to secure the release of our citizens detained by Israeli forces aboard the Freedom Flotilla and to ensure their safe return to Turkey,” while the situation of other activists “is being closely monitored in coordination with the relevant countries.”
“Turkey will continue to stand firmly with the Palestinian people and work to end the genocide in Gaza,” the ministry stressed.
The latest convoy was part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which sought to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. It followed Israel’s seizure of more than 40 boats last week, during which over 450 international activists were detained—most of whom have since been deported.
Israel, the occupying power, has repeatedly attacked Gaza-bound aid vessels, seizing cargo and deporting peace activists. Its nearly 18-year blockade of Gaza has turned the enclave—home to some 2.4 million people—into an open-air prison. The siege was tightened in March when Israel sealed crossings and blocked food and medicine, deepening famine conditions.
Since October 2023, relentless Israeli bombardments have killed nearly 67,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, devastating Gaza and rendering it uninhabitable. Negotiations to halt the genocidal war are ongoing in Egypt under a 20-point plan presented by US President Donald Trump.