JERUSALEM, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Israel said on Thursday it had deported all activists from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla after a video showing activists kneeling with their hands bound sparked international outrage.
The aid vessels, carrying 428 people, were intercepted by the Israeli navy in international waters on Monday morning.
Israel's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that all the activists had been deported, adding that the country would not permit any breach of what it described as "the lawful naval blockade on Gaza."
The activists had been brought to Israel's Ashdod Port on Wednesday. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir later released a video showing them kneeling on the floor, bent forward with their heads down and their hands bound behind their backs with zip ties, as the Israeli national anthem was played loudly over speakers.
Adalah, an Israeli human rights group that advised detained flotilla activists, said many reported extreme violence, sexual humiliation and serious injuries by Israeli forces, with at least three requiring hospital treatment.
The video sparked international outrage, with the European Union and several countries -- including Spain, France, Italy, Belgium, Australia, Britain, Poland, Iran, Ireland, Greece, Canada and the Netherlands -- denouncing the activists' treatment or summoning Israeli ambassadors for clarification talks.
Amid the backlash, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Ben-Gvir's treatment of the activists was "not in line with Israel's values and norms," while defending the interception of the flotilla. ■
