Israel intercepts Global Sumud boats, demanding activists suspend humanitarian mission

Israel Intercepts Seven Vessels from Global Sumud Flotilla Aid Boat Mission

A flotilla of aid boats bound for Gaza was intercepted by Israeli military forces in the Mediterranean Sea on Thursday. According to organisers and Israeli media, the vessels were approached by military speedboats and ordered to stop.

The Global Sumud Flotilla aid mission reported that 11 vessels had lost communication with each other due to jamming technology used by the Israeli military. It was claimed that seven of the 58 vessels in the flotilla had been captured near the Greek island of Crete.

Israeli Army Radio cited an Israeli source as saying that the country began seizing control of the aid ships heading towards Gaza. The spokesperson for the Global Sumud Flotilla, Gur Tsabar, described the boarding of the vessels as “a straight-up attack on unarmed civilian boats in international waters”.

Tariq Ra’ouf, a writer and activist on board one of the flotilla’s vessels, reported that the fleet was surrounded by large Israeli military ships. He stated that the aid flotilla was travelling to Crete in international waters when Israel’s naval raid began.

The Israeli operation unfolded over several hours, with the flotilla’s communications being jammed by the Israeli military. The Israeli army has issued warnings to activists on board the flotilla’s ships, demanding they return immediately and threatening to intercept them if they continue sailing to Gaza.

The Global Sumud Flotilla aid mission stated that the sea assault was taking place “hundreds of miles from Israel”, with the flotilla being “surrounded and threatened at gunpoint”. The mission claimed that the boarding of the vessels amounts to illegal detention, potentially kidnapping on the high seas.

Source: Al Jazeera