Hundreds of Gaza activists arrive in Turkey

ISTANBUL/TEL AVIV - Three planes carrying hundreds of activists who had been detained this week, after trying to break Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip, arrived in Istanbul Thursday after their release.

They were greeted by Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, other Turkish politicians and hundreds of supporters.

Most of those released were Turks.

A spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry had earlier said Israel had deported most of the activists detained in Monday’s interception in international waters of six aid ships bound for the Gaza Strip.

The people injured in the raid had already been flown to Ankara in air ambulances while the bodies of the nine people who were killed Monday were also on board the planes that took off from Tel Aviv.