According to accusation from the Israeli authorities, no vessel yet managed to interruption the blockade. Israeli forces boarded the vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which had acceptable sail aiming to transport activists and humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Navy forces besides boarded the Greek vas “Oxygen.”
Watch video of the infinitesimal Israeli forces boarded the Greek “Oxygen”:
Israeli forces stopped 13 boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying assistance and activists, including Greta Thunberg, portion 30 boats proceed toward Gaza.
Source: Reuterspic.twitter.com/5ts8Jr9avt
However, according to The Guardian, 1 of the vessels, the Mikeno, managed to scope Palestinian territorial waters and is present conscionable a fewer miles disconnected Gaza. Two much vessels are heading northbound toward Cyprus, nether ineligible protection, portion different remains disconnected the Egyptian coast.
Eventually, the Israelis announced that all crews person been arrested.
Israel: None of the 45 vessels broke the naval blockade – 39 vessels already intercepted
Israel claims that none of the flotillas succeeded successful breaching the naval blockade. It announced that it volition deport the pro-Palestinian activists who were connected the boats intercepted astatine sea, according to AFP.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the flotilla ships are being escorted by Israeli naval vessels to the port of Ashdod, wherever registration and deportation procedures for those connected committee volition follow.
Reactions from the Palestinians
At the aforesaid time, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel’s actions arsenic an “attack and enactment of aggression” and expressed heavy interest for the activists’ safety.
In its statement, it said:
“The Global Sumud Flotilla is simply a peaceful, civilian initiative aimed astatine breaking the inhumane and amerciable blockade of Gaza and ending the argumentation of starvation and genocide, successful accordance with planetary law.”
Videos amusement Israeli warnings to the ships:
The arrests and Greta Thunberg’s presence
Most of the activists who were connected the flotilla’s vessels person already been transported under detention to the port of Ashdod, including Swedish biology activistic Greta Thunberg, who appeared successful a video sitting connected the platform surrounded by Israeli soldiers.
Also among the detained activists is Mandla Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the detainees are being “transported safely and peacefully to Israel,” wherever their deportation to Europe volition begin.
Watch videos showing moments of the Israeli intervention:
Greek participation
In a societal media post, the activists aboard the Greek vas “Oxygen” wrote:
“The vessel Oxygen has been intercepted by Israeli forces successful an enactment of international piracy, violating International Law and the Law of the Sea.
Our comrades are being abducted and transported to an unknown determination against their will. We request that the Greek government warrant their immediate and harmless return to the country.”
Earlier, Petis Perka, MP for New Left, who was connected committee the Greek vessel “Oxygen”, posted a video connected Instagram successful which she said that Israeli warships had appeared:
“For a moment, we believed — we wanted to judge — that time astatine noon we would beryllium successful Gaza, embracing the children who are waiting for us.
Unfortunately, arsenic we expected, 4 miles up of the archetypal vessels, Israeli warships person appeared. So we are waiting for them to travel to america arsenic well.”
Three much Greek vessels are participating successful the planetary ngo carrying humanitarian assistance to Gaza: “Pavlos Fyssas”, “Vangelis Pissias”, and “Ahed Tamimi.”
“We mislaid connection with hundreds of colleagues”
British activistic Ruhi Loren Akhtar, who was aboard 1 of the flotilla’s vessels, said successful a video posted connected Instagram that her vessel decided to return to Cyprus, arsenic immoderate participants were considered “high-risk” for detention.
“Instead of opening the humanitarian corridor, different boats were intercepted by Israeli forces. We person mislaid connection with hundreds of colleagues and tin lone presume they are nether arrest,” she said.
Akhtar, laminitis of the British NGO Refugee Biryani and Bananas, added that her team’s ngo present is to coordinate with crushed teams to guarantee the release of the detainees and the safety of the vessels inactive astatine sea.
Allegations of “illegal interception” – International reactions
The organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla described the Israeli operations arsenic “illegal”, claiming the vessels were sailing successful international waters.
“Beyond the confirmed interceptions, unrecorded streams and communications with respective different boats person been lost,” they noted.
The future of the ngo is uncertain, arsenic Israeli naval forces proceed to hunt for the remaining vessels inactive astatine sea, portion international attraction intensifies implicit the destiny of the activists and the ongoing blockade of Gaza.
Hamas, whose onslaught connected Israel connected October 7, 2023, triggered the warfare successful Gaza, called the cognition a “crime of piracy.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the Israeli involution against the flotilla, saying it “once again demonstrates Israel’s barbarity.”
“This onslaught by the Israeli authorities against civilians sailing successful planetary waters erstwhile again revealed the madness with which its genocidal officials effort to screen up their crimes against humanity successful Gaza,” Erdoğan declared, denouncing “once again Israel’s barbarity.”
The Turkish Foreign Ministry called the Israeli cognition a “terrorist act,” and the Istanbul prosecutor’s office announced it had launched an investigation pursuing the apprehension of Turkish citizens who were connected the planetary flotilla.
France urged Israel “to guarantee the information of each participants.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called connected Israel to “immediately release” the pro-Palestinian activists, including Nelson Mandela’s grandson.
Italy announced that “at this stage,” 22 of its citizens who participated successful the Gaza flotilla person been arrested by Israel — a ngo that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni erstwhile again criticized.
“Obviously, we volition bash everything we tin to guarantee that these radical tin instrumentality to Italy arsenic soon arsenic possible,” Meloni said connected the sidelines of the European acme successful Copenhagen.
“That said (…) I inactive judge that each this does not payment the Palestinian people,” she added.
Germany called connected Israel to guarantee the information of each flotilla members.
“We are successful interaction with the Israeli authorities and person urged it to fulfill its obligations nether planetary instrumentality and enactment proportionally. We person besides requested the extortion of each those connected board, and arsenic acold arsenic we know, this has been done,” said the German Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
He added that the German embassy successful Israel is trying to interaction immoderate German nationals involved.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced the expulsion of the Israeli diplomatic mission from his country.
Greek activists denote hunger strike
Meanwhile, members of March to Gaza Greece — the Greek delegation that took portion successful the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by Israel successful an effort to interruption the naval blockade and present humanitarian assistance to Palestinians successful the Gaza Strip — announced that they are beginning a hunger strike.
In their statement, March to Gaza Greece denounced their “illegal detention” by Israeli authorities and said their determination to statesman a hunger onslaught represents a “collective stance against the transgression committed against the Palestinian radical and the ongoing usurpation of each conception of planetary law.”
“We request the contiguous merchandise of each members of our ngo and of the Global Sumud Flotilla arsenic a whole. Any charges — specified arsenic those nether Israel’s ‘anti-terrorism law’ — are false, fabricated, and portion of the effort to criminalize planetary solidarity.
We besides state that if immoderate of america are beaten, disappeared, oregon suffer communication, work lies chiefly with the Israeli state. But we cognize that Israel is not alone,” the enactment stated.
Full connection by March to Gaza Greece:
“After our amerciable detention by Israeli authorities, we are starting a hunger strike. This determination is not a idiosyncratic prime but a corporate stance against the transgression committed against the Palestinian radical and the ongoing usurpation of each conception of planetary law.
We bash not admit the amerciable blockade of Gaza. We bash not admit the ‘right’ of the violent authorities to abduct ships and radical successful planetary waters. Our beingness here, our arrest, and present our hunger onslaught are a continuation of the aforesaid stance: Palestine is not alone, and solidarity cannot beryllium imprisoned.
We request the contiguous merchandise of each members of our ngo and of the Global Sumud Flotilla arsenic a whole. Any charges — specified arsenic those nether Israel’s ‘anti-terrorism law’ — are false, fabricated, and portion of the effort to criminalize planetary solidarity.
We besides state that if immoderate of america are beaten, disappeared, oregon suffer communication, work lies chiefly with the Israeli state.
But we cognize that Israel is not alone. The complicity of planetary and Greek authorities is clear: with weapons, economical agreements, governmental and ineligible cover, they facilitate occupation, blockade, and genocide.
This complicity indispensable beryllium held accountable: we indispensable emergence up successful Greece and internationally, request Israel’s implicit isolation, and combat truthful that Palestine and its radical whitethorn unrecorded free.
Against those who usage hunger and the deprivation of nutrient arsenic a limb of warfare and a bargaining spot against 2 cardinal people, hunger onslaught is the slightest we tin bash wrong their cells to support the dependable of absorption alive.
For us, this is an evident enactment of solidarity. This is our work to the Palestinian radical and to each aboriginal ngo that volition proceed the way toward a escaped Palestine.”
Signatories (in the comments):
- Ploutarchos Vergis – unit member, “Oxygen”
- Kyriakos Vlachopoulos – unit member, “Pavlos Fyssas”
- Ioanna Vrettou – unit member, “Pavlos Fyssas”
- Evgenia Kavvadia – unit member, “Ahed Tamimi”
- Anna Lagonikou – unit member, “Pavlos Fyssas”
- Kostas Lampridis – unit member, “Pavlos Fyssas”
- Paris Lavtsis – unit member, “Pavlos Fyssas”
- Nikos Liapouris – unit member, “Ahed Tamimi”
- Takis Politis – unit member, “Pavlos Fyssas”
- Angeliki Savantoglou – unit member, “Pavlos Fyssas”
- Kostas Fourikos – unit member, “Pavlos Fyssas”
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