Israel intercepts Gaza-bound flotilla

Israeli naval commandos intercepted the Gaza-bound flotilla off the coast of Cyprus, hundreds of kilometers away, on Monday.

Israeli media reported that elite units of the Israeli Navy began seizing control of the Global Freedom Flotilla, arresting activists from the flotilla’s lead vessels and transferring them to a naval ship equipped with a floating prison, in preparation for their transfer to the port of Ashdod, according to the Palestinian news agency Sanad.

The report indicated that the operation to seize all the flotilla’s ships was expected to take several hours and could continue until the following day.

For his part, Nour Rami Saad, spokesperson for the Freedom Flotilla, stated that “the barbaric Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla represents a blatant act of aggression and a flagrant challenge to the will of the international community.”

In a press statement, he added that what occurred constitutes “a flagrant violation of international law and maritime navigation rules, and a direct targeting of purely humanitarian efforts,” emphasizing that the attack once again reveals “the nature of the enemy, which is based on oppression and preventing any attempt to break the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.” He pointed out that “international silence regarding this crime gives the enemy cover to continue its aggressive policies against civilians,” stressing that the Freedom Flotilla “will continue its humanitarian mission and these attacks will not deter it from fulfilling its duty towards our people in Gaza.”

Saad held the Israeli enemy fully responsible for the safety of the flotilla participants and for any serious repercussions of the escalation, calling on international and human rights organizations to take immediate action and hold the enemy accountable for its repeated crimes.

He emphasized that breaking the siege on Gaza is a humanitarian and moral duty that cannot be abandoned, no matter the challenges.

For her part, the spokesperson for the Turkish Freedom Flotilla said that the participants expected “the Israeli occupation to seize the flotilla and prevent the breaking of the siege on Gaza,” confirming that they would resort to prosecuting Israel for “violating the law of the sea and piracy of the Freedom Flotilla ships.”

On Thursday evening, the “Global Freedom Flotilla” set sail from the coast of the Turkish city of Marmaris towards the Gaza Strip, in a new attempt to break the naval blockade imposed on the Strip and deliver humanitarian aid, with the participation of hundreds of activists from dozens of countries.