Israel Intercepts Global Sumud Boats, Demands Activists Halt Mission

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Israel has intercepted seven out of 58 vessels participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which aimed to deliver aid to Gaza. The flotilla’s organizers and Israeli media report that military speedboats identified as “Israel” approached the boats, using drones, communications jamming technology, and armed raiding parties to halt the humanitarian fleet.

According to the Global Sumud Flotilla, participants were ordered to get on their hands and knees and threatened with kidnapping and violence. The flotilla claims that Israeli military boats surrounded the vessels in international waters and lost communication with 11 of the participating ships.

Israel’s Army Radio cited an Israeli source as saying that Israel has begun seizing control of aid ships heading towards Gaza, with seven vessels captured near the Greek island of Crete. A spokesperson for the Global Sumud Flotilla described the boarding of its vessels as “a straight-up attack on unarmed civilian boats in international waters.”

The flotilla’s organizers and participants describe the sea assault as taking place hundreds of miles from Israel, with the fleet being surrounded and threatened at gunpoint. The flotilla claims that this action is illegal under international law and that Israel has no jurisdiction in these waters.

Multiple sources on board one of the flotilla’s vessels report that drones were surrounding them, flashing lights, and jamming their communications. Participants claim that Israeli military ships deployed rigid inflatable boats to surround many of the vessels, and that they received messages from the Israeli military saying they were breaking international law.

The operation unfolded over several hours, with the flotilla traveling in international waters when Israel’s naval raid began. The flotilla’s communications were reportedly jammed by the Israeli military playing music over radio channels as a psychological warfare tactic.

There has been no official comment from Israeli authorities on the raid, but anonymous military sources have shared details with Israeli media.

Source: Al Jazeera