JERUSALEM: Israeli forces on Wednesday intercepted a new Gaza-bound aid flotilla, days after thwarting another maritime convoy that had tried to break Israel's blockade on the war-battered Palestinian territory.
The Global Sumud Flotilla first reported that three of its vessels had been “attacked and illegally intercepted by the Israeli military” in the early morning, 220 kilometres (about 140 miles) off the coast of Gaza.
It later said all nine of the latest flotilla's vessels had been intercepted, including one, the Conscience, carrying more than 90 journalists, doctors and activists.
Israel has blocked several international aid flotillas in recent months from reaching Gaza, where the United Nations says famine has set in after two years of devastating conflict.
As the war drags on, solidarity with the Palestinians has grown globally, with activists, protesters across the world and increasingly governments condemning Israel for its conduct.
Israel confirmed on Wednesday it had intercepted boats entering waters it says fall under its blockade of Gaza.
“Another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone ended in nothing. The vessels and the passengers are transferred to an Israeli port,“ its foreign ministry said on social media.
“The passengers are expected to be deported promptly,“ it added.
The pro-Palestinian activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the boats were carrying “vital aid worth over $110,000... in medicines, respiratory equipment, and nutritional supplies that were destined for Gaza’s starving hospitals”.
Turkey’s foreign ministry accused Israel of carrying out an “act of piracy”, describing the intervention against the flotilla as “an attack on civil activists, including Turkish citizens and members of parliament”.
Belgian rapper detained
Israeli authorities detained Belgian rapper Youssef Swatt's aboard one of the boats, his lawyers said.
Irene Khan, UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion, said Israel was obliged to “ensure the rights of all those being arbitrarily detained”.
“This attack against unarmed civilians on the high seas is yet another violation of international law by Israel,“ she said in a statement.
Last week, Israeli naval forces stopped another flotilla of 45 vessels from the Global Sumud campaign that was carrying politicians and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.
The move drew mass protests across Europe.
Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the war in Gaza, condemned the interception as a “crime of piracy and maritime terrorism”.
Israel expelled Thunberg and scores of fellow campaigners on Monday, many of whom complained of mistreatment at the hands of the Israeli authorities -- accusations Israel rejected.
Israel has sought to brand the Global Sumud Flotilla an offshoot of Hamas.
It said the boats violated a prohibited zone and that little humanitarian aid was found on board the vessels.
Palestinian militants' October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.
Israel's military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,183 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible.
The data does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but indicates that more than half the dead are women and children - AFP
