Istanbul: An American activist who was aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla expressed his appreciation for the Turkish people's solidarity with Palestine. "I was in Trkiye one and a half years ago and I met many people who were speaking to me about this. I could feel the love and the care and the solidarity with the people of Palestine and I really appreciate this," Windfield Beaver told Anadolu after his arrival in Istanbul on Saturday.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Global Sumud Flotilla embarked on its journey in late August with the aim to provide aid to Gaza. However, earlier this week, the flotilla faced an attack by Israel, resulting in the detention of more than 400 individuals. On Friday, Israel began deporting those detained, and 137 activists arrived in Istanbul on a specially-chartered Turkish Airlines plane on Saturday.

Beaver described his journey to Gaza as "incredible," highlighting the solidarity among the flotilla's participants. He remarked, "We knew we were sailing towards an Israeli prison or violence. But the solidarity that we felt and the dedication that we shared on that journey was incredible."

He criticized the United States government for its role in the Gaza situation, stating that it is "very complicit" and provides weapons to Israel. Beaver appreciated the camaraderie with Turkish participants, noting, "To have a state actually act on our behalf was very reassuring and beautiful because my state did nothing. We had no visit from our embassy, no visit from consular services. We had no support from our government whatsoever."

Beaver also expressed gratitude for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's words of solidarity with the Palestinian people. He called on UN member states to take action, saying, "any state who believes in human rights to actually act, to intervene in Israel's genocide."

Reflecting on the treatment during their mission, Beaver added, "On our mission, we were treated very badly by Israel. But because of the eyes of the world, they could not be so violent towards us. And so we were protected because of the support that we had as the flotilla from so many people around the world."