Turkey will operate three special flights to Israel's Ramon Airport on May 21 to evacuate activists from the detained "Sumud" flotilla carrying aid to Palestine.
The aircraft, with a total capacity of over 400 passengers, will transport all willing individuals to Istanbul.
A source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry told TASS that three flights will be made today to bring back detained Turkish citizens and activists from other countries.
"All participants of the 'Sumud' flotilla who wish to be evacuated will be brought to our country. The planes are scheduled to land at Istanbul Airport on Thursday evening," the ministry stated.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had previously disclosed plans to extract the detained activists from Israel. According to NTV, Turkish Airlines aircraft are being used for this process. The flotilla included 78 Turkish citizens.
According to a statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry on May 19, all ships of the "Sumud" flotilla were intercepted and 430 activists supporting Palestine were detained. They were all brought to Israeli territory and expected to meet with their consular representatives.
