Dubai: The biggest ship in Freedom Flotilla has entered Israel’s port of Ashdod on Monday evening, amid intensive Israeli security measures signaling the end of a long-day nightmare for hundreds of peace activists which left many of them killed and injured, sources told Gulf News.
Israeli authorities, meanwhile, have started deporting several western peace activists through the airport and has sent many Arabs who were on the ships to a new prison in Beer Sheba in southern Israel in preparation to send them back to their home countries.
“Mavi Marmara ship has entered Ashdod, and it is about to dock,” an informed media source told Gulf News at 8.00 PM UAE time. “The Israelis have deployed quick intervention forces in case of fresh confrontation between the Israeli forces and nearly 600 peace activists on the big ship.”
Already, the pre-dawn confrontation between the two sides has already left nearly 19 activists killed, and scores injured. Most of the causalities on Mavi Marmara were amongst Turkish and Palestinian nationalities from either the diaspora or those who are living in the Palestinian 1948 areas.
Bodies of those killed and injured on the largest ship in the flotilla have not been evacuated yet to Israeli hospitals, and were left aboard the ship throughout the whole day, sources said.
Mavi Marmara is the last ship to enter the Israeli port, after several smaller ships were taken to the same port earlier the day.
“After interrogation with the activists, Westerners were given the option between deportation or sending them to prison,” one source said.
“Nearly 19 people, especially those with Western passports were taken to Ben Gurion Airport, in two groups, in preparation to send them back to their home countries “, the source told Gulf News.
Many of the second batch of the peace activists, mainly from Arab countries, were taken to “a new prison in Beer Sheba” in preparation to send them back to their countries. Those include peace activists from the Gulf region and Arab journalists.
It is still unclear how Israel will send those to their countries and through which ports. Israel has no diplomatic relations with most of the Arab countries, including many in the Gulf region.
Sending a plane from a third country, with relations with Israel, is one of the available options, a source said.
Israeli authorities, meanwhile, “will not take the peace activists to court, whether Westerners or Arabs” according to media sources, especially since Monday’s bloody attack has brought Israel the wrath of many governments and peoples in different parts of the world.
