03.10.2025 21:00
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Öncü Keçeli, made a statement regarding the Turkish citizens on the Sumud Fleet detained by Israel, saying, "Various alternatives are being worked on for the repatriation of our citizens, and among these alternative plans is the possibility of bringing them back by a special flight tomorrow."
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Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Öncü Keçeli stated, "We are working to bring our citizens, who have been detained by Israel, back tomorrow by private plane."
The Global Sumud Fleet had set sail to break the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza. Warships belonging to the Israeli army attacked the fleet's ships in recent days.
THERE ARE MANY TURKS AS WELL The Israeli army seized 30 ships that were part of the Sumud Fleet. More than 200 people, including 48 Turkish citizens, were also detained by Israeli soldiers.
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS HAS TAKEN ACTION Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Öncü Keçeli made a statement regarding the Turkish citizens detained by Israel. Emphasizing that the Sumud Fleet plays a crucial role in drawing the world's attention to the ongoing disaster in Gaza, Keçeli stated, "We have been closely following the developments since the first day the organization of the fleet began. We have been in contact with the fleet's organizing committee and participants from the very beginning. Our Ministry's Situation Monitoring Center and Crisis Desk have been closely monitoring developments 24/7."
"PRESIDENT ERDOĞAN AND HAKAN FIDAN CONDUCTED DIPLOMACY" Keçeli stated that they are in close coordination with the countries that have citizens in the fleet, saying, "Our President (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) and our Minister (Hakan Fidan) conducted intense telephone diplomacy."
Keçeli noted that as a result of these contacts, they ensured a joint statement was made, which strongly warned Israel not to endanger the safety of those in the fleet. Keçeli said, "Our ships operating in the region and our search and rescue capabilities have also shown presence to contribute to humanitarian aid missions."
"CONSULATE OFFICIALS MADE FACE-TO-FACE CONTACT WITH TURKISH CITIZENS" Providing information about the current situation of Turkish citizens detained by Israel, Keçeli said, "At this stage, we know that hundreds of activists have been detained by Israel. Among them, there are nearly 50 of our citizens. Due to some of our citizens having dual citizenship, we cannot provide an exact number. Immediately after the ships were seized, our consulate officials intervened. They worked in coordination with the fleet's lawyers and other relevant country embassies. We tried to share the information obtained with the families of our citizens immediately."
Keçeli stated that Turkish citizens in the fleet were disembarked at Ashdod Port on October 2, along with other country activists, saying, "After the administrative procedures here, they were gradually transferred to a detention center located in southern Israel."
Spokesperson Keçeli said, "Consulate officials made face-to-face contact with Turkish citizens for the first time today. Our consulate officials have been there for about 8 hours and have made direct contact with our citizens for the first time. According to the first information we received, there is no cause for concern regarding the general health status of our citizens."
"THERE IS A POSSIBILITY FOR CITIZENS TO RETURN TO TURKEY TOMORROW BY A SPECIAL FLIGHT" Keçeli stated, "At this point, we are considering various alternatives for the fastest and healthiest evacuation of our citizens from Israel." He added, "There is a possibility for citizens to return to Turkey tomorrow by a special flight."
Keçeli emphasized that they are working intensively to complete this process as effectively as possible, stating, "Our colleagues are following the issue both with local authorities and maintaining coordination with relevant institutions in Turkey. We will inform the public about this matter as developments become clearer."
When asked if there have been any countries that contacted Turkey for assistance regarding evacuation, Keçeli replied, "Yes, there have been. As you know, in the past, we have provided significant assistance for the evacuation of various humanitarian crises and natural disasters to third countries. This time, third countries have also been in contact with us. We are ready to provide assistance for the departure of third country citizens from Israel within the framework of our capabilities."
Keçeli mentioned that Malaysian authorities contacted them today and made such a request, stating that they are doing their best in this regard.
HERE ARE THE NAMES OF TURKISH ACTIVISTS DETAINED BY ISRAEL Additionally, a statement from the Global Sumud Fleet Turkey Delegation provided the names of the detained Turkish citizens along with the names of the ships and boats they were on as follows: "(Sirius) Abdulaziz Yalçın, Davut Daşkıran, Zeynep Dilek Tekocak, Ayçin Kantoğlu; (HUGA-A) Mehmet Sait Direkçi, Fatih Özsöz, Tevhit Yıldız; (Austral-A) İkbal Gürpınar, Fethullah Badem, Muhammet Emin Işık, Hacı Durak, Bekir Develi, Erdem Özveren, Enes Harman, Sait Karahasan; (Florida-A) Evren Akan, Turgay Turan, Muhammet Emin Yıldırım; (Alma) Metehan Sarı, Hüseyin Şuayb Ordu, Onur Murat Kolgu, Semih Fener, Osman Çetinkaya, Sümeyra Akdeniz Ordu; (Spectre) Bekir Turunç, Abdulmecid Bağcıvan, Mustafa Muhammed Çakmakçı, Mesut Çakar, Müslim Ziyali; (Mali/Deir Yassine-A) Sümeyye Sena Polat; (Grande Blu) Halil Rıfat Çanakçı; (Morgana) Ersin Çelik, Semanur Sönmez Yaman; (Seulle-A) Yaşar Yavuz, Haşmet Yazıcı, Abdülsamed Turan; (Capten Nikos-A) Umut Aslan, Abdullah Gündem; (Allakatalla) Halil İbrahim Sehidoglu; (Maria Cristina) Ergün Akpınar, (Adaigo) Muhammet Fatih Sinan, Yunus Demir, Mehmet Emin Aydın, Hakan Şimşek, Zeynel Abidin Özkan, Alpaslan Arslan, Muhammed Salih Dallı, (Mikeno-A) Huzeyfe Küçükaytekin."
4 ITALIAN ACTIVISTS DEPORTED On the other hand, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the deportation process for the Sumud Fleet activists has begun, but the process will take time. Additionally, it was reported that 4 Italian activists from the fleet have been deported, but no information was provided about who these individuals are.
In a written statement from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was noted that 4 Italian parliamentarians who participated in the Sumud Fleet and were detained and taken to Israel have been released.
GLOBAL SUMUD FLEET The Global Sumud Fleet, which set out to break the blockade of Israel and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, approached the waters of Gaza on the evening of October 1.
The Israeli army, which attacked the fleet, illegally seized dozens of boats and ships, detaining hundreds of passengers.
The Global Sumud Fleet is the largest fleet to have set out collectively to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza to date.
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