ANKARA, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Eighteen Turkish citizens who were on board a Gaza-bound international aid flotilla intercepted by Israel are returning to Türkiye Friday afternoon aboard a specially chartered flight, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said.

Türkiye is evacuating a total of 94 activists from 21 countries on this flight, Keceli said on the social media platform X.

Keceli's remarks came amid Türkiye's broader efforts to repatriate citizens and aid workers caught in the Israeli interception of humanitarian flotillas bound for Gaza.

The Freedom Flotilla, on its way to Gaza, was intercepted by the Israeli navy in the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday. Among those detained by Israeli forces are Turkish lawmakers and members from different parties, local media reported.

The Freedom Flotilla marked the second recent attempt by a civilian aid flotilla to break the naval blockade of Gaza, following Israel's interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla last week. That mission involved over 470 volunteers from more than 40 countries. ■