Lawyers for most of the activists aboard a flotilla heading to Gaza and intercepted by Israel last night say that three of the detainees have agreed to be deported immediately.
Legal rights center Adalah says in a statement that “the authorities presented them with two options: either agree to so-called ‘voluntary deportation,’ or remain in detention and appear before a tribunal, to have their continued detention pending deportation reviewed.”
According to Adalah, three detainees — an Italian, an American, and a French member of parliament, Gabrielle Cathala — agreed to be deported and are expected to leave Israel in the coming hours.
The two US-Israeli nationals aboard the boat, Bob Suberi and Huwaida Arraf, were interrogated by Israeli police and released, while 12 international activists — including another left-wing French MP, Emma Fourreau — refused to sign voluntary deportation orders and are still in Israeli custody, pending legal hearings, the organization says.
The remaining four detainees, including a pair of Al Jazeera journalists, have retained private counsel.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, July 27, 2025
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
