Sumud humanitarian aid flotilla activists being brought to airport in Crete to be flown home

Activists from a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla that was attacked this week by Israel are being transferred to an airport in Crete to be returned to their home countries, local media reported on Friday.

A total of 178 activists from various countries, including Greece, were transported to the village of Atherinolakkos in Lasithi, eastern Crete, from where they will be taken by bus to Heraklion Airport, reported broadcaster SKAI, citing local sources.

From the airport, the activists will be returned to their home countries, it added.

The Global Sumud humanitarian aid flotilla was attacked on Thursday near the Greek island, some 600 nautical miles from their destination, the blockade-ravaged enclave of Gaza.

The first ships of the flotilla, carrying humanitarian aid, set sail from Barcelona on April 12, while the main fleet set sail from the Italian island of Sicily on April 26, aiming to break Israel's years-long blockade of Gaza.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving the territory’s 2.4 million people on the verge of starvation.

The Israeli army launched a brutal two-year offensive on Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 72,000 people, injuring over 172,000 and causing massive destruction across the besieged territory.