Suhad Bishara, legal director at Adalah, a Palestinian-run legal centre in Israel representing the seized activists onboard the Madleen, has said the 12 detainees have been unable to make contact yet with the outside world.

Explaining the likely scenario over the coming hours to Al Jazeera, Bishara said: “We are insisting on seeing them tonight immediately upon their arrival at the detention centre to give them consultation on what the next steps are. I would expect they’ll be deported within 24 to 48 hours to their homes.”

She stated, “As with foreigners on flotillas in the past who were detained under these same conditions, they were never charged in Israel. However, deportation orders were issued for most cases for 10 years.”