ANKARA: Turkish officials on Wednesday called for release of three lawmakers detained after Israeli forces intercepted their boats heading for Gaza. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said all nine of its boats were intercepted by the Israeli army as they attempted to approach Gaza to challenge a naval blockade. T&uuml;rkiye&#39;s foreign ministry slammed the interception as an &quot;act of piracy&quot;, describing it as &quot;an attack on civil activists, including Turkish citizens and members of parliament&quot;. &quot;This is a serious violation of international law. Our three MPs and all activists illegally detained must be released immediately and unconditionally,&quot; Sena Nur Celik Kanat, a lawmaker from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan&#39;s ruling AKP party, told AFP. Celik Kanat was among more than 80 members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe who signed a letter calling for the activists&#39; release. The pro-Palestinian activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the boats were carrying &quot;vital aid worth over $110,000 USD in medicines, respiratory equipment, and nutritional supplies that were destined for Gaza&#39;s starving hospitals&quot;. Israel has in recent months blocked several international aid flotillas from reaching Gaza, where the UN says famine has set in after two years of devastating conflict.

Middle East

Türkiye condemned Israel’s interception of aid flotillas bound for Gaza as “piracy” and demanded the release of three detained Turkish lawmakers and other activists carrying $110,000 worth of medical and nutritional supplies for Gaza’s hospitals

Türkiye urges Israel to release detained lawmakers

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CASTEL: Pope Leo XIV announced Tuesday that his first foreign trip as pontiff will take him to Turkiye and Lebanon next month, a journey he described as a &ldquo;historic opportunity&rdquo; to promote Christian unity and deliver a message of peace to the Middle East.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The visit, scheduled for Nov. 27 to Dec. 2, will include a stop in Iznik, Turkiye, to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, Christianity&rsquo;s first ecumenical council recognized by both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The trip&rsquo;s timing &mdash; on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel &mdash; adds symbolic weight to Leo&rsquo;s message of reconciliation.<h3 style="line-height: 2; margin-top: 14pt; margin-bottom: 4pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unity and continuity</h3><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Speaking to reporters as he departed the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo, Leo called the anniversary &ldquo;a moment of authentic unity in the faith&rdquo; with Orthodox Christians, noting it was not only a time to reflect on history but to look forward.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The visit will also fulfill the late Pope Francis&rsquo; wish to travel to Lebanon, which has the highest proportion of Christians in the Middle East and remains the only Arab country led by a Christian head of state.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;I go to Lebanon to bring a message of peace and hope to a people who have suffered greatly,&rdquo; Leo said, adding that he seeks to advance dialogue in a region marked by decades of conflict.<h3 style="line-height: 2; margin-top: 14pt; margin-bottom: 4pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lebanon&rsquo;s fragile recovery</h3><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lebanon is recovering from years of economic turmoil and the aftermath of a war between Israel and Hezbollah that ended last November under a ceasefire brokered by the United States and France. Although a reformist government has raised hopes of stability, Israel continues to occupy several strategic points on the Lebanese side of the border, while tensions persist over Hezbollah&rsquo;s disarmament.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Ra&iuml; welcomed the papal visit as &ldquo;a sign of unity for all Lebanese, Christians and Muslims alike.&rdquo; The last papal visit to Lebanon was by Benedict XVI in 2012.<h3 style="line-height: 2; margin-top: 14pt; margin-bottom: 4pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Calls for peace amid tensions</h3><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Vatican&rsquo;s announcement came as Israel marked the Oct. 7 anniversary, during which its embassy to the Holy See criticized recent remarks by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican&rsquo;s top diplomat. Parolin had denounced both Hamas&rsquo; &ldquo;inhuman massacre&rdquo; and what he called Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;disproportionate&rdquo; response in Gaza.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leo declined to weigh in on the dispute but reiterated his long-standing call for dialogue and peace. Condemning terrorism, he cited the mounting Palestinian death toll as a &ldquo;tragic reflection of how much hatred exists in the world.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&quot;We must reduce hatred, we must return to the ability to dialogue, to seek peaceful solutions,&rdquo; Leo said.

Europe

Pope Leo XIV announced Tuesday that his first foreign trip as pontiff will take him to Turkiye and Lebanon next month, a journey he described as a “historic opportunity” to promote Christian unity and deliver a message of peace to the Middle East.

Pope Leo XIV to visit Turkiye and Lebanon on first foreign trip

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Qatar&#39;s prime minister and Turkish delegates will join Hamas and Israeli negotiators in Egypt on Wednesday for a third day of talks aimed at ending the Gaza war, AFP reported. Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are being held at the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, based on a 20-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump last month. &lsquo;There&rsquo;s a possibility&rsquo;: TrumpPresident Trump on Tuesday pledged US support for Gaza security guarantees and said he believes a deal is close to being completed for the remaining hostages, Reuters reported. Talking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, &quot;I think there&#39;s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East&quot; beyond just Gaza. He said he would discuss Gaza with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. &quot;We are very close to making a deal on the Middle East that will bring peace to the Middle East after all of these years,&quot; Trump said at the start of an Oval Office meeting with Carney. Asked what security guarantees the United States was willing to offer, Trump pledged help without providing specifics. &quot;We are going to do everything possible &mdash; we have a lot of power &mdash; and we&#39;re going to do everything possible to make sure everybody adheres to the deal,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Global pressureGlobal pressure to end the war has escalated, with much of Gaza flattened, a UN-declared famine unfolding and Israeli hostage families still longing for their loved ones&#39; return, AFP reported. A UN probe last month accused Israel of genocide. Hamas&#39;s top negotiator, Khalil El-Hayya, said the group wants &quot;guarantees from President Trump and the sponsor countries that the war will end once and for all&quot;. Trump&#39;s plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages, Hamas&#39;s disarmament, and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The plan received positive responses from both Israel and Hamas and prompted indirect talks in Egypt since Monday. A Palestinian source close to the Hamas negotiating team said Tuesday&#39;s session included Hamas discussing &quot;the initial maps presented by the Israeli side regarding the withdrawal of troops as well as the mechanism and timetable for the hostage-prisoner exchange&quot;.&nbsp;Steve Witkoff to join talksOn Wednesday, Trump&#39;s special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will join the talks, according to Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. &quot;The primary guarantee of success at this stage is US President Trump himself ... even if it comes to a point to require him imposing a vision,&quot; he said. Qatar stated that its prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, would attend. In contrast, Turkish state media reported that the country&#39;s Intelligence Chief, Ibrahim Kalin, would lead a delegation to Egypt. Israel&#39;s war on Gaza has killed at least 67,160 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Gaza, figures the United Nations considers credible.

The two countries will join the talks in Cairo, based on a US-proposed plan calling for a ceasefire, hostage release, and Israeli withdrawal. President Trump says he believes a deal is close. 

Qatar, Turkey to join third day of Gaza peace talks in Egypt

ANKARA/ROME: Some 137 activists detained by Israel for taking part in a flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza arrived in Turkey on Saturday after being deported, with two alleging that Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg was mistreated during her detention. Israel did not immediately comment on the new allegations, but its foreign ministry earlier described reports that detainees had been mistreated as &ldquo;complete lies.&rdquo; The activists who landed at Istanbul Airport included 36 Turkish nationals, as well as citizens from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia, and Jordan, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources. Thunberg &lsquo;treated terribly,&rsquo; activist allegesTwo of them, Hazwani Helmi, a Malaysian citizen, and Windfield Beaver, an American citizen, told Reuters at the airport that they had witnessed Thunberg being mistreated, saying she was shoved and forced to wear an Israeli flag. &ldquo;It was a disaster. They treated us like animals,&rdquo; said Helmi, 28, adding that detainees were not provided with clean food or water and that medication and belongings were confiscated. Beaver, 43, said Thunberg was &ldquo;treated terribly&rdquo; and &ldquo;used as propaganda,&rdquo; describing how she was pushed into a room as Israel&rsquo;s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived. Israel has faced international condemnation after its military intercepted about 40 boats in a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza and detained more than 450 activists. Its foreign ministry wrote on X that all detained activists were &ldquo;safe and in good health,&rdquo; adding it was keen to complete the remaining deportations &ldquo;as quickly as possible.&rdquo; In a separate X post, it accused some flotilla members of &ldquo;deliberately obstructing&rdquo; the deportation process, without providing evidence. Reuters was unable to verify the allegation independently. Israel denies allegations of mistreatmentItaly&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said 26 Italians were on board the Turkish Airlines flight, with another 15 still held in Israel and set to be expelled over the next few days, along with activists from other nations. &ldquo;I have once again given instructions to the Italian Embassy in Tel Aviv to ensure that the remaining compatriots are treated with respect for their rights,&rdquo; Tajani wrote on X. A first group of Italians from the flotilla &mdash; four parliamentarians &mdash; arrived in Rome on Friday. &ldquo;Those who were acting legally were the people aboard those boats; those who acted illegally were those who prevented them from reaching Gaza,&rdquo; Arturo Scotto, one of the Italian lawmakers who took part in the mission, told a press conference in Rome. &ldquo;We were brutally stopped ... brutally taken hostage,&rdquo; said Benedetta Scuderi, another Italian parliamentarian. According to Adalah, an Israeli group offering legal assistance to flotilla members, some detainees were denied access to lawyers, water, medication, and toilets. They were also &ldquo;forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied for at least five hours after some participants chanted &lsquo;Free Palestine,&rsquo;&rdquo; Adalah said. Israel denied the allegations. &ldquo;All of Adalah&rsquo;s claims are complete lies. Of course, all detainees were given access to water, food, and restrooms; they were not denied access to legal counsel, and all their legal rights were fully upheld,&rdquo; a foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters. The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, where Israel has been waging a war since the Palestinian militant group Hamas&rsquo;s deadly attack on Israel in October 2023. Israeli officials repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt and warned it against violating a &ldquo;lawful naval blockade.&rdquo;

Halil Rifat Canakci of Turkey, one of the activists who were sailing aboard vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla which were seized by Israeli forces, reacts after arriving at Istanbul Airport on a special flight, in Istanbul, Turkey, October 4, 2025. RE

Some 137 activists detained by Israel arrive in Turkey after being deported, with two alleging that the Swedish campaigner was mistreated during her detention. Israel's foreign ministry describes reports that detainees had been mistreated as 'complete lies.'

Articles tagged with "Turkey"

Türkiye urges Israel to release detained lawmakers

Pope Leo XIV to visit Turkiye and Lebanon on first foreign trip

Qatar, Turkey to join third day of Gaza peace talks in Egypt

Freed activists allege Greta Thunberg mistreated in Israeli custody