Finnish activists detained by Israel return to Finland

Three Finnish activists detained by Israel after attempting to reach Gaza by sea arrived back in Finland on Saturday afternoon, landing at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport at around 14:00 local time. About fifty people gathered at the airport to welcome them, many holding Palestinian flags.

Israel deported the detained Finns to Turkey earlier this week. The activists were part of a flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces at the start of the week, with over 300 participants—including the three Finns—taken into custody.

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released a video showing detained activists from the Global Sumud flotilla kneeling on a boat deck with their hands bound behind their backs. Finland’s foreign ministry has condemned the treatment shown in the footage and demanded an explanation for how the Finnish detainees were handled.

This is not the first time Israel has detained activists attempting to reach Gaza. Last autumn, five Finnish activists were held after joining a similar flotilla; they later reported being subjected to humiliating treatment by Israeli authorities.