Fifteen Turkish activists returning from the Global Sumud Flotilla have alleged abuse by Turkish-speaking Israeli soldiers and urged Ankara to revoke the citizenship of dual nationals serving in Israel’s army, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, organized by international pro-Palestinian groups, set sail in early October to symbolically deliver aid and break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. Israeli naval forces intercepted the vessels in international waters, detaining more than 400 participants, including more than 40 Turkish citizens. A special Turkish Airlines flight brought 137 deported activists, among them 36 Turks, back to İstanbul on October 4.
According to Anadolu, the remaining 15 Turkish activists arrived at İstanbul Airport on Tuesday evening after being flown from Amman.
The activists alleged that Turkish-speaking Israeli soldiers mistreated them during their detention, calling on the Turkish government to revoke the citizenship of those dual nationals serving in the Israeli military.
Speaking to reporters upon arrival, activist Zeynel Abidin Özkan said that during the seizure of their vessels and their detention, they “were subjected to violence, dragged and beaten — especially by Israeli soldiers who have Turkish citizenship and spoke Turkish.” He added that “at least three soldiers spoke fluent Turkish, showed us their Turkish passports and swore at us.”
Another activist, Muhammed Fatih Sinan, echoed these claims in a press statement, saying some of the soldiers “kicked us on the ground while saying, ‘I have that passport, too.’” He urged authorities to identify these individuals and revoke their Turkish citizenship, saying, “We don’t want these people in this country.”
The incident has sparked outrage among pro-Palestinian circles in Turkey. Islamist writer Adem Özköse, who shared the activists’ statements on X, said it was “inconceivable” that no action had yet been taken against what he called “Zionist dual nationals.”
“From now on, failing to act against these Zionist dual nationals means protecting them. Understand this clearly — we don’t want a single Zionist in our country,” he added.
Akıl alır gibi değil. Gelen tüm tepkilere rağmen çifte vatandaş siyonistlere karşı en ufak bir adım atılmıyor. Bu saatten sonra çifte vatandaş siyonistlere karşı bir şey yapmamak onları korumak anlamına gelecektir. Anlayın artık. Ülkemizde tek bir siyonist bile istemiyoruz. https://t.co/nYDnTagfLc
— Adem Özköse (@ademozkose) October 7, 2025
Flotilla participant Ayçin Kantoğlu also took to social media, calling for legal and political measures. “Spreading propaganda for Zionism or Israel, mocking the victims of genocide or justifying genocide based on religion or ethnicity should be treated as acts of terrorism,” she said.
Kantoğlu added that dual citizens who have served or are serving in “Israel’s organized evil army of genocide” should be brought to justice for committing crimes against humanity and that their Turkish citizenship should be revoked.
Türkiye’de Siyonizm ve İsrail güzellemesi yapmak, soykırıma uğrayanları aşağılamak, din, dil, ırk üzerinden soykırımı meşrulaştırmak suç olarak”terörle mücadele” kapsamına alınmalıdır.
İsrail denilen örgütlü kötülüğün soykırım ordusunda görev yapmış veya yapmakta olan çifte…
— Ayçin Kantoğlu (@Aycin_Kantoglu) October 8, 2025
Hüseyin Şuayb Ordu, also a participant, said Israeli soldiers tried to humiliate the Turkish activists by hitting them on the head with Turkish passports, saying that they had them, too.
The activists say they endured harsh conditions in detention, including long hours under the sun, being held in stress positions, denied food and water and verbally abused.
“They took pleasure in mistreating us,” activist Sümeyye Sena Polat said, recalling being forced to watch Israeli propaganda videos.
The Turkish government has not commented on the allegations involving Turkish-speaking Israeli soldiers.
Jews are one of several minorities officially recognized in Turkey. Turkey at one time had a large Jewish community, but most of its members have left the country over the years.
Anti-Israel sentiment is running high in Turkey since Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 67,000 people, according to the health ministry in Gaza, figures the United Nations considers credible.
Amid rising anger, the Free Cause Party (HÜDA PAR), a small radical Islamist ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, submitted a bill to parliament in July 2024 seeking to strip Turkish nationals who serve in the Israeli military of their citizenship and prosecute them for “crimes against humanity.” The proposal, which remains pending in parliament, follows reports of Turkish-Israeli dual citizens joining the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attacks and has drawn support from pro-Palestinian groups demanding stronger measures against dual nationals accused of participating in Israel’s war in Gaza.
