A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong welcomed their release and an Australian spokesperson for the flotilla said they had touched down in Jordan on Tuesday night.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade continues to provide consular assistance to Australians who were detained in Israel,” the minister’s spokesperson said.

“We are pleased they have been released from detention.”

In recent days, Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced a steady stream of deportations of citizens of various countries, including sharing photos of prominent young climate activist Greta Thunberg, labelling the activists “provocateurs” and describing the aid delivery attempt as a “PR stunt”.

But on Tuesday night it was yet to mention anything about the Australians named by flotilla organisers as Surya McEwen, filmmaker Juliet Lamont, content creator Abubakir Rafiq, Hamish Paterson, Bianca Webb-Pullman, Cameron Tribe and one more unidentified person.

It’s understood the Australians’ release followed representations from Canberra to Israeli authorities.

But Global Movement to Gaza Australia spokesperson Talitha Mitchell criticised a lack of public condemnation from Wong or Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

“They have not condemned Israel’s crimes and so many breaches of international law, humanitarian law, maritime law, have occurred here, grave human rights abuses and that none of the families were contacted.”

About 450 activists on board 50 boats were captured by the Israeli navy in international waters about 70 kilometres out from Gaza on October 2.

Supporters of the Australians on Monday added their voices to claims prisoners had been abused while in Israeli custody.

The Global Movement To Gaza claimed that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told them McEwen had reported physical assault, having his head struck against a concrete surface, arm dislocated and intimidation and verbal abuse.

“The Australian government must do everything in their power to bring him and all seven Australians home immediately,” his mother, Jacinta McEwen, said.

“He’s being tortured for trying to feed starving people.”

DFAT said it could not comment on the claims, citing “privacy obligations”.

“The Australian government has made clear to Israel our expectation that detainees will receive humane treatment in line with international norms,” a department spokesperson added.

Israeli authorities rejected mistreatment accusations that had emerged in interviews with activists who were deported to Turkey, Spain and Italy at the weekend.

Israel’s government also vehemently denied claims its offensive in Gaza amounts to genocide, despite a growing number of experts denouncing it as such.

Thunberg was among dozens of deportees to land in Athens, Greece, on Monday.

Crowds of supporters gathered at the Eleftherios Venizelos international airport and chanted “Free free Palestine!” as activists disembarked one by one.

“That this mission has to exist, it’s a shame! It is a shame!” Thunberg told journalists and protesters shortly upon arriving.

“I could talk for a very, very long time about our mistreatment and abuses in our imprisonment, trust me, but that is not the story.”

Instead, Thunberg urged world leaders and ordinary citizens around the world to end their “complicity” with the “genocide” being carried out against Palestinians in Gaza.

“This action was challenging our extremely violent business as usual,” Thunberg said. 

“We cannot take our eyes away from Gaza.”

Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, since the October 7 attacks exactly two years ago.

Thousands of Hamas-led militants attacked army bases, farming communities and a music festival, killing about 1200 people and abducting 251 others.

– Reported with Associated Press