A first group of the 430 activists of the Sumud Global Flotilla detained between Monday and Tuesday by Israel in international waters arrived this Wednesday morning in the Israeli port city of Ashdod (south), reported the legal center in charge of their defense in the country, Adalah, and the arrival of a second group is expected in the next few hours.

According to one of the organization's spokespersons, Moatasem Zedan, not all of the activists, who are trying to break the blockade of Gaza, have yet arrived at the Israeli port. Zedan indicated that Adalah's lawyers have already been able to visit the activists in the port facilities where they remain under arrest.

“After an initial period in which information on the whereabouts, legal status and physical condition of the crew members was severely restricted, Adalah lawyers, along with a team of volunteer lawyers, have gained access to the port of Ashdod for legal consultations,” the organization added in a statement.

Transfer to Negev prison

On the other hand, a spokesperson for Rumbo a Gaza, a Spanish initiative that is part of the Flotilla, stated that a second group will arrive in Ashdod in a few hours and that, after the relevant procedures, they will be transferred to the Ketziot prison, in the Negev desert in southern Israel. Until they enter prison, the Israeli authorities will not allow visits from consular representatives of the around 40 countries of which they are nationals.

After two days of operations, on Tuesday night the Israeli Armed Forces completed the interception of the last two ships of a flotilla made up of nearly fifty vessels that were trying to reach the Gaza Strip.