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Tag: international waters

  • Israel intercepts new pro-Palestinian aid flotilla bound for Gaza

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    The Israeli Navy has intercepted another flotilla of pro-Palestinian activists attempting to deliver aid to Gaza, according to the organizers.

    The Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens to Gaza said on social media that nine vessels carrying around 150 activists from about 30 countries were stopped early Wednesday about 220 kilometres off the Gaza coast. The group said in a post on X that Israeli naval forces “attacked and illegally intercepted” the ships.

    Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the interception, calling it “another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone.”

    The statement on X said the vessels were being escorted to an Israeli port and that all crew members were “safe and in good health.” The activists were expected to be deported shortly.

    Last week, the Israeli Navy detained more than 40 boats from a similar aid flotilla carrying some 400 participants from various countries, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Most have since been released and deported.

    Organizers of that earlier mission, known as the Global Sumud Flotilla, accused Israeli forces of physical and psychological mistreatment and of violating detainees’ rights — allegations the Israeli government dismissed as lies, saying all rights had been fully respected.

    Critics argue that the amount of aid carried by such flotillas is too small to meaningfully assist Gaza’s population. The missions are mainly symbolic acts aimed to show solidarity with the Palestinians and draw attention to the situation in the Gaza Strip.

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  • Israeli Navy intercepts last boat from Gaza aid flotilla

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    Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, which attempted to sail to the Gaza Strip carrying humanitarian aid, said on Friday that the Israeli Navy had intercepted the last of its boats shortly before it reached the blockaded coastal territory.

    “Marinette, the last remaining boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla, was intercepted at 10:29 am local time, approximately 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza,” the flotilla’s organizers said in a statement.

    A video released by the pro-Palestinian group shows the Israeli boat approaching the activists’ vessel, before the footage ends as soldiers climb on board.

    According to reports, the boat had experienced technical problems and was trailing behind the fleet.

    The navy had already stopped the rest of the flotilla’s 42 boats in the Mediterranean.

    Israeli authorities took more than 400 crew members from dozens of countries into custody, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, and said they will be sent back to their home countries.

    The activists wanted to deliver aid supplies directly to the population of the Gaza Strip and protest against Israel’s military campaign in the sealed-off territory.

    They rejected Israel’s offer to channel the supplies to Gaza via Israeli ports, saying Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip is illegal.

    Another pro-Palestinian flotilla has reportedly already left Europe and is travelling towards the Gaza Strip. The nine boats were said to be off the coast of Crete on Friday morning.

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  • Israel says Gaza flotilla halted completely as activists hail success

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    The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it had prevented the Global Sumud Flotilla from breaking through the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, despite contradictory claims from the activists on board.

    The organizers of the aid flotilla, which set sail from Barcelona in late August and aimed to deliver humanitarian aid directly to Gaza’s population, said Israel intercepted around 40 boats in the Mediterranean Sea.

    However, the activists said one boat, the Mikeno, reached within a few kilometres of Gaza’s coast, as shown on their online ship tracking service.

    They described the mission as a success, saying it was the first time a civilian vessel had managed to break through the Israeli naval blockade and enter the territorial waters off the Gaza Strip.

    The Times of Israel newspaper reported, citing military sources, that none of the flotilla’s ships had managed to reach the Israeli-controlled waters off the coast of Gaza, saying the activists’ claim was based on incorrect tracking data.

    The fate of the Mikeno remained unclear due to interrupted communications. There were no reports that the boat had reached dry land and been able to unload any aid supplies.

    The Israeli military and the Foreign Ministry did not initially respond to enquiries about the Mikeno.

    The Israeli navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla on Wednesday evening around 80 kilometres off the coast in international waters.

    Activists said the interception was illegal and accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip – accusations which Israel has rejected in the past.

    The flotilla members reported that at least one boat was rammed and others blasted with water cannons. Live footage from some of the vessels showed masked, heavily armed soldiers boarding and ordering crews to raise their hands. There were no reports of injuries during the operation.

    According to the organizers, around 500 participants from more than 40 countries, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were to be brought to Israel and then deported.

    “The passengers are safe and in good health,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on X, alongside a photo of some of the activists, including Thunberg.

    Two other boats turned north towards Cyprus and escaped military action. One final boat remained at sea, but far from the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Foreign Ministry warned that if it continued to approach, it would also be stopped.

    It was initially unclear what would happen to the intercepted boats and their cargo. The activists had previously rejected offers from Israel to have the flotilla’s supplies brought to the Gaza Strip via an Israeli port.

    “The flotilla refused because they are not interested in aid, but in provocation,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on X.

    The flotilla issued a statement on Thursday saying: “Our commitment remains clear: to break Israel’s illegal siege and end the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. Every act of repression against our flotilla, every escalation of violence in Gaza, and every attempt to suppress solidarity actions only strengthen our resolve.”

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  • Gaza aid flotilla targeted by drones and explosions, activists say

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    Organizers of the pro-Palestinian flotilla hoping to carry aid to Gaza said that Israel attacked them with “flash bombs, explosive flares, and suspected chemicals” as it approached the war-torn Palestinian territory.

    “The Israeli occupation forces have launched at least 11 attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla as it is 600 nautical miles [1,100 kilometres] from Gaza,” the CODEPINK organization said in a social media post early on Wednesday.

    “Israel is threatening and terrorizing humanitarians carrying aid in international waters. Demand safe passage for the flotilla. Break the siege on Gaza now,” the group said, in comments also shared by the flotilla.

    Global Sumud Flotilla published a video on its social media channels early on Wednesday showing what it said were “flashbangs… a non-lethal explosive device used mainly by police or military forces. It is designed to incapacitate people temporarily without causing permanent injury, making it useful in crowd control or hostage rescue operations.”

    The activists said that “explosive flares” and “suspected chemicals” were deployed against the boats as well as “unidentified drones and communications jamming.”

    “We are witnessing these psychological operations firsthand, right now, but we will not be intimidated,” the flotilla said in a Telegram post.

    Earlier, Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, reposted one of the flotilla’s videos on her X page.

    “9th attack reported on humanitarian boats in int’l waters (southwest of Crete) – in the middle of the night! Et voilà: genocidaire on land, maritime outlaw at sea,” she wrote in the social media thread.

    The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set off from Barcelona in late August with hundreds of activists on board, is aiming to breach the Israeli sea blockade of the Gaza coast to deliver humanitarian aid to the population of the war-torn territory. “Sumud” means steadfastness in Arabic.

    Israel has in the past thwarted a number of attempts to breach its sea blockade. Most recently, activists said two Global Sumud Flotilla vessels were attacked while in Tunisian waters over about 24 hours earlier in September.

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  • Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail from Tunisia to break Israel’s Gaza siege

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    An international convoy of boats, the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), has set sail from Tunisia, aiming to defy Israel’s siege on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.

    The GSF, which departed Bizerte Port on Saturday, includes more than 40 vessels carrying between 500 and 700 activists from more than 40 countries, according to Anadolu.

    Participants say they are determined to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza.

    Among those joining is Franco-Palestinian lawmaker Rima Hassan, a member of the French National Assembly, who announced her participation after boarding in Tunisia.

    “Our governments are responsible for the continuation of the genocide in Gaza,” Hassan wrote on X, accusing European leaders of silence in the face of Israeli attacks on aid convoys. In June, she joined another Gaza-bound boat that Israeli forces seized in international waters.

    he flotilla is supported by prominent activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, who has long been vilified by Israeli officials for her solidarity with Palestinians.

    The flotilla reported this week that two of its ships – the Family, which had members of the steering committee on board, and the Alma – were attacked while anchored near Tunis.

    Activists suspect Israeli involvement, noting that one of the vessels was struck by a drone.

    Tunisia’s Ministry of the Interior confirmed a “premeditated aggression” and said an investigation had been launched.

    Despite the attacks, flotilla organisers insist they will press ahead. “Faced with this inaction, I am joining this citizens’ initiative, which is the largest humanitarian maritime convoy ever undertaken,” Hassan said.

    History of intervention

    This is not the first time Israel has moved to stop such missions.

    In early June, Israeli naval forces intercepted the Madleen ship in international waters, seizing its aid supplies and detaining the crew of 12 activists. Another vessel, the Conscience, was struck by drones in May near Maltese waters, leaving it unable to continue its journey.

    Organisers say the GSF – named after the Arabic word for resilience – represents one of the boldest challenges yet to Israel’s control of Gaza’s coastline.

    The attempt comes as the United Nations warns of famine in Gaza, with more than half a million people facing catastrophic hunger.

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