Gaza-bound aid flotilla says it is 'under attack' as Israel intercepts fleet off Cyprus

Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound assistance flotilla connected Monday aft it sailed from Turkey past week, successful the latest effort to breach the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

The Global Sumud Flotilla is the latest of galore attempts since the opening of the Gaza warfare to present assistance to the Palestinian territory by oversea and the 2nd wrong a month, with a erstwhile convoy intercepted by Israeli forces connected 30 April.

"Global Sumud Flotilla is nether attack!" the flotilla wrote connected X, saying 4 Israeli warships had approached their vessels.

"Military vessels are presently intercepting our fleet and IOF forces are presently boarding the archetypal of our boats successful wide daylight," it said, with the flotilla tracker showing respective vessels intercepted westbound of Cyprus.

"We request harmless transition for our legal, non-violent humanitarian mission. Governments indispensable enactment present to halt these amerciable acts oregon piracy meant to support Israel's genocidal siege connected Gaza.”

"Normalisation of the occupation's unit is simply a menace to america all," the connection said.

Around 50 ships had departed from southwestern Turkey connected Thursday arsenic portion of the flotilla.

Earlier connected Monday, Israel vowed to forestall the convoy from reaching Gaza.

"Once again, a provocation for the involvement of provocation: different alleged 'humanitarian assistance flotilla' with nary humanitarian aid," the overseas ministry posted connected X.

"This time, 2 convulsive Turkish groups - Mavi Marmara and IHH, the second designated arsenic a violent organisation - are portion of the provocation," the ministry said, vowing not to let immoderate breach of the Israeli blockade connected Gaza.

"Israel calls connected each participants successful this provocation to alteration people and crook backmost immediately," it said.

Flotilla serves 'Hamas'

"We are definite that astatine slightest 2 to 3 boats" person been stopped, Gorkem Duru, a subordinate of the Turkey subdivision of the Global Sumud Flotilla, who is not connected board, told the AFP quality agency.

"But immoderate of them continue" towards Gaza, Duru said, adding that "communication links with the ships were chopped off."

The Israeli overseas ministry said the purpose of the flotilla was to "serve Hamas, to divert attraction from Hamas's refusal to disarm and to obstruct advancement connected President Trump's bid plan."

Under the ceasefire program projected by Trump, which took effect successful October and has mostly halted the warring successful Gaza, the territory is to beryllium afloat demilitarised, including the disarmament of Hamas.

The ministry rejected claims that Gaza was facing assistance shortages.

"The Gaza Strip is flooded with aid. Since October alone, much than 1.58 cardinal tons of humanitarian assistance and thousands of tons of aesculapian supplies person entered Gaza," it said.

Israel controls each introduction points into Gaza, which has been nether an Israeli blockade since 2007.

During the warfare successful Gaza, triggered by Hamas's unprecedented 7 October 2023 onslaught connected Israel, the territory has suffered terrible shortages of food, medicine and different indispensable supplies, with Israel astatine times halting assistance deliveries entirely.

The erstwhile flotilla effort was intercepted successful planetary waters disconnected Greece, with astir activists expelled to Europe.

But Israeli forces arrested 2 of them, Spanish nationalist of Palestinian root Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian activistic Thiago Avila, and brought them to Israel for questioning.

The brace were detained successful a situation successful the confederate Israeli metropolis of Ashkelon earlier being deported respective days later.

Dozens of different activists were taken to the Greek land of Crete and released.

Rights groups said the arrests of Abu Keshek and Avila were amerciable and that the men suffered maltreatment portion successful Israeli detention.

Israeli authorities person rejected the maltreatment allegations but filed nary charges against the pair.