Israel releases South Korean activists seized from Gaza flotilla

Two South Korean activists who were seized by Israeli forces while attempting to deliver aid to Gaza have been released and deported, according to officials in Seoul.

The presidential office confirmed that the activists, identified as Kim Ah-hyun and Jonathan Victor Lee, were intercepted in international waters while aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. Following the high-seas confrontation, Israeli forces took the pair into custody but chose not to hold them in a standard detention facility, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.

"The Israeli side immediately deported the two South Korean nationals without placing them in a detention centre," South Korean presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung announced via the Yonhap news agency.

The incident has sparked immediate diplomatic friction between the two nations. The administration of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung issued a dual-sided response to the escalating situation, balancing condemnation of the raid with relief over the quick release.

"The Lee Jae Myung government expresses strong regret over Israel’s detention of our nationals during its seizure of vessels," Kang stated. "However, it highly appreciates Israel’s immediate release of our nationals and welcomes this decision."

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada