Turkish national held on Gaza-bound aid ship expected to be released Thursday

ANKARA/ ISTANBUL

A Turkish citizen detained by Israeli forces aboard a Gaza-bound aid vessel is expected to be released and leave Israel on Thursday, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

The sources said Wednesday that officials from the Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv remain in contact with Suayb Ordu and his lawyers.

It also noted that the case of Yasemin Acar, a German citizen, is being closely followed and that the families of both Acar and Ordu are being kept updated about the process.

The aid ship Madleen was seized by Israeli naval forces early Monday while sailing in international waters and redirected to the port of Ashdod.

Part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the aid ship had a 12-strong crew on board, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Other activists aboard the Madleen included Acar and Ordu, as well as Baptiste Andre, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi and Reva Viard from France, Thiago Avila from Brazil, Sergio Toribio from Spain, Marco van Rennes from the Netherlands, and Omar Faiad, a journalist with Al Jazeera Mubasher, also from France.

As Israel has continued to close all Gaza’s border crossings to humanitarian aid since early March, aid agencies have warned of the risk of famine among Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.