Israeli authorities will finish the deportation of pro-Palestinian activists who tried to breach Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza strip within the next 72 hours, Interior ministry spokeswoman Sabine Hadad said on Saturday.
Israeli navy on Friday boarded two aid ships that were trying to break the naval blockade of Gaza. The two ships - the Irish Saoirse (Gaelic for Freedom) and the Canadian Tahrir (Arabic for Liberation) – carried 27 activists. After the interception, the activists were taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod, about 35 kilometers north of Gaza City.
Two Greek crew members were flown home Saturday. Three journalists from the U.S., Spain and Egypt were released and told to leave by Sunday.
Israel attacked a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla in international waters off the Gaza coast in May 2010, which resulted in the deaths of nine Turkish activists on board the Mavi Marmara ship. Each side blamed the other for the fatalities.
