04.10.2025 18:26
A total of 137 activists, including 36 Turks, who were detained by Israel on the Freedom Flotilla, arrived in Istanbul on a private plane. The activists, who were welcomed at Istanbul Airport with slogans, included İkbal Gürpınar, who said, "Even if we fell into the trash, we would still be beneath you. They were astonished by our joy. They kept us hungry for 3 days and did not give us water. We had to drink the water from the toilet, but we never begged them in any way."
While trying to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, the plane carrying a total of 137 people, including 36 Turkish citizens from the Global Sumud Fleet, landed at Istanbul Airport after being detained by the Israeli authorities.
"WE HAD TO DRINK THE WATER IN THE TOILET"
Activist İkbal Gürpınar, who was welcomed with slogans at Istanbul Airport, stated in an interview on CNN Türk, "I thank our state very much. Everyone on the plane shouted, 'Good thing you exist, Turkey.' We scored a huge goal against Israel. Hopefully, this will end in victory. They treated us like dogs. They thought we would lose value with their dirty actions. Even if we fall into the trash, we are beneath you. They were astonished by our joy. They kept us hungry for 3 days and did not give us water. We had to drink the water in the toilet, but we never begged them. They kept us under the sun for a 7-8 hour journey to the port. They did not let us inside the ship and left us on the deck. It was an extremely hot day. We all got burned," she said.
"THEY BLINDFOLDED THE FRENCH AND SCOTS"
Continuing her remarks, Gürpınar said, "If they had sent everyone from the airport, perhaps the foreigners would have thought differently." She added, "They blindfolded the French and the Scots. The Italian MP who was in the same cell with me said, 'I will tell everything to my country when I return.' She also told the Israeli soldier, 'We protected you, remember the history. What kind of people are you? I will tell your true face when I turn around.' By keeping us there, they shot themselves in the foot," she stated.
THEY WILL UNDERGO HEALTH CHECKS
After undergoing health checks at the Forensic Medicine Institution in Yenibosna, the activists will be taken to the Istanbul Police Department to be questioned as part of the investigation initiated by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the detention of Turkish citizens in international waters following Israel's attack on the Global Sumud Fleet.