Israel has started deporting activists who were on board a Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla, while extremist Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir dubbed them as "terrorists" during a public rebuke of the pro-Palestine group, which has been widely condemned.
More than 400 people from over 40 countries were rounded up when Israeli naval forces raided the Global Sumud Flotilla that was heading for Gaza in an attempt to break the Israeli siege and deliver aid to the Palestinian enclave.
The last boat, Marinette, had been trailing behind the rest of the vessels and was still sailing on to the Palestinian territory in the early hours of Friday, a day after the Israeli navy stormed 41 other boats in the Global Sumud Flotilla and detained the activists, saying they would be deported.
A livestream from the Marinette showed the moment Israeli troops boarded the vessel. The flotilla, which was carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza, was the largest attempt to break Israel's blockade of the Palestinian territory.
Israeli authorities had warned the crew on the Marinette that the vessel would be stopped if it continued on its journey.
Israel’s interceptions started on Wednesday night and continued through Thursday as boat by boat was stopped off Gaza's shore and the activists – including Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela and several European lawmakers – were detained.
It has triggered global outrage and sparked protests across Europe.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir confronted the detained activists, mocking their aid initiative and accusing them of supporting "terrorism" in a video circulating on Friday.
In Israel’s southern port of Ashdod, Ben-Gvir was filmed visiting the site where activists were being processed ahead of their expected deportations.
In the footage, the activists are seen sitting cross-legged on the floor while Ben-Gvir chided the group.
One person is heard shouting back "Free Palestine," but it was not immediately clear from the footage who that was.
The minister, a Jewish Israeli settler from the occupied West Bank, is known for his racist and inflammatory remarks against Palestinians.
Israel's foreign ministry on Friday said four Italian activists from the aid flotilla had been deported, after the Global Sumud Flotilla said Israel had intercepted its last boat.
"Procedures are under way to wrap up the Hamas-Sumud provocation and to finalise the deportation of the participants in this sham," the foreign ministry said on X.
"Already 4 Italian citizens have been deported. The rest are in the process of being deported. Israel is keen to end this procedure as quickly as possible."
Israel often dubs pro-Palestinian supporters as being Hamas sympathisers and anti-Semitic, accusing some of the flotilla activists of having links to the Palestinian militant group, while providing no evidence to back their claims.
Activists have strongly rejected the accusations.
The Arab nationalities on board include Algerians, Tunisians, Moroccans, Jordanians, Kuwaitis, Bahrainis, Omanis, as well as people of Lebanese, Libyan, and and Palestinian heritage.
More than 66,000 people have been killed in the two-year Gaza war, most of them civilians. Among them, hundreds have died from hunger-related causes because of Israel’s harsh aid restrictions.
The war is widely recognised as being a genocide – something Israel has repeatedly denied.
(Agencies contributed to this report)