Oliver Towfigh Nia
07 October 2025•Update: 07 October 2025
BERLIN
Germany announced on Tuesday that 14 Germans who were illegally detained in Israel as part of the Gaza aid flotilla have been deported.
According to an unidentified Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, they were transported to Greece and received by staff from the German Embassy in Athens.
Yasemin Acar, a German organizer of the Global Sumud Flotilla, said on Monday that she and others on board the fleet of ships had "gone through torture" after being "kidnapped in international waters" and brought to Israel against their will.
They were deprived of food and sleep while in prison, she said, noting that the events unfolding in Gaza are a "genocide that our countries financially, morally, and with weapons are supporting."
Describing their imprisonment as "brutal," Acar stressed that they were robbed of all their rights.
Germany ready to help rebuild post-war Gaza
Meanwhile, Development Minister Reem Alabali Radovan said her country is ready to support concrete reconstruction projects in the event of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
"We already have a project, for example, temporary shelters. They're already funded and ready. A large part of the Gaza Strip has been destroyed. That means people don't have a roof over their heads; there's hardly any infrastructure left," the minister told public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk radio.
She pointed out that the current hygiene situation is catastrophic, saying her ministry could provide support with sanitation, water supplies, or debris removal.
"These are just a few examples where we already have experience and where we could provide immediate support," the minister said.
On Monday, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said his country is willing to organize a reconstruction conference alongside Egypt.
