Desk Report:
The Israeli navy has attacked the Global Sumud flotilla, an international aid flotilla heading to the Gaza Strip. At least 317 crew members have been detained, the flotilla’s organizers said on Thursday. Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported the information.
The official flotilla tracker said the Israeli navy had attacked 21 ships. It is believed that 19 more ships were attacked. Four more ships are still sailing towards Gaza. However, Reuters reported that Israel had seized at least 39 ships.
The tracker also said that Israeli forces had detained at least 317 crew members from 21 ships. The crew members of the ships attacked by Israel were citizens of various countries. They included citizens of Spain, Italy, Brazil, Turkey, Greece, the United States, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and France, among others.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on social media that the detainees were being taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod. From there, they will be sent back to Europe.
Meanwhile, official trackers showed that the ship named ‘Mikeno’ had entered Gaza’s territorial waters. However, after reaching about 9.3 nautical miles away, the ship’s tracking signal was lost. Turkish activist Erdem Ozveren said that their ship was less than 30 nautical miles away from Gaza, that is, about 55 kilometers away.
The Global Sumud Flotilla said that Israeli forces surrounded the ships as they were moving towards Gaza. Through this, they wanted to challenge the long-standing blockade. The activists said that Israel disrupted the signals and cut off communication with most of the ships.
Some rights activists published several videos on social media. In them, it can be seen that the Israeli navy ships approached the flotilla and ordered them to change direction.
Sumud Flotilla X, which set out to break the Gaza blockade, wrote, “Zionist forces are attacking us. After seizing several ships, a state of emergency has been declared on all ships. Warnings have been issued. Our ships are being illegally seized. Cameras have been turned off, soldiers have entered the ship.”
The committee alleges that the Israeli navy has committed violence against the workers. They rammed a ship, used water cannons and forcibly boarded the ship. At the same time, peace activists from 50 countries have been “brutally” tortured.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that some of the workers have been detained. They will be taken to an Israeli port. The ministry said that the navy has reached the flotilla and asked the workers to go to the port of Ashdod. There, the ships will be inspected, and then the aid will be sent to Gaza. A source told Israel’s Channel 13 that it may take all day today to seize the entire flotilla.
The flotilla set sail in late August. It mainly carried humanitarian aid and medical supplies. After many years, more than 50 ships set sail for Gaza together. It carried 532 civilian supporters from more than 45 countries. Israel has been maintaining a blockade on Gaza for almost 18 years. In March this year, it closed the border and tightened the blockade by stopping the entry of food and medicine. This has put the entire region on the brink of famine.
It is worth noting that more than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israeli attack began in October 2023. Most of them are women and children. The United Nations and various human rights organizations have warned that Gaza is becoming uninhabitable. Hunger and disease are spreading rapidly.
