Formentera resident Txarli de la Rubia landed in Madrid on Sunday afternoon after being captured by Israel last week while sailing in international waters aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian mission aimed at delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza. De la Rubia has been repatriated along with a group of 21 Spanish nationals.
According to a family member who spoke to Ràdio Illa, Txarli “is well, but arrived very tired” and is eager to “return home” after several days of confinement in an Israeli prison. For now, it has not been disclosed when he plans to return to Formentera. The same source said that Txarli will first travel to Barcelona to collect his personal belongings, then continue to Valencia to meet his family before returning to the island.
Allegations of mistreatment
The 21 repatriated Spaniards have reported having suffered beatings, mistreatment, deliberate sleep deprivation, lack of access to drinking water and denial of medical care during their detention in Israel, according to RTVE.
The remaining 28 Spanish detainees from the Flotilla are expected to be deported on Monday on a flight scheduled to land in Athens, according to sources close to the families and the Flotilla organisation cited by El País.
As for the other two members, Guillen Esteban and Marta Mallach, both residents of Ibiza, the Government Delegation in the Balearic Islands confirmed that one of them also arrived on Sunday night, according to Cadena SER.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.