JERUSALEM, Oct 9 (NNN-MA’AN) – An international aid flotilla, on its way to Gaza, was intercepted by the Israeli navy in the Mediterranean Sea yesterday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
This marked the second recent attempt by a civilian aid flotilla, to break the naval blockade of Gaza, following Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) last week. That mission involved over 470 volunteers from more than 40 countries.
Israel’s state-owned Kan TV News reported that, yesterday morning, the navy seized eight small yachts and a 68-metre cruise ship, carrying around 100 activists from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), within 40 minutes.
According to the statement and the channel, the vessels and the activists were transferred to the Port of Ashdod in southern Israel.
The ministry added that, all the passengers are safe and in good health and are expected to be deported promptly.
According to the flotilla organisers, among the volunteers on board were doctors, journalists, and activists.
They claimed in a statement that, the Israeli regime has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard these ships, adding that, this seizure “blatantly violates international law and defies the International Court of Justice’s binding orders, requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.”
The Zionist Israeli regime imposed a naval blockade on Gaza in 2007, after Hamas seized control of the enclave. The restrictions were further tightened, following Hamas’s cross-border assault into southern Israel in Oct, 2023.– NNN-MA’AN
