Israeli military intercept and board several aid ships bound for Gaza, organizers say
By Jack Guy, Billy Stockwell, Dana Karni and Abeer Salman, CNN
(CNN) — The Israeli military intercepted and boarded several Gaza-bound aid ships on Wednesday evening local time, according to organizers of the voyage, who vowed to “continue undeterred.”
“Multiple vessels of Global Sumud Flotilla – notibly Alma, Sirius, Adara – were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli Occupation Forces in international waters,” Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) said in a statement.
GSF is an organization trying to get aid into Gaza using ships setting sail from ports across the Mediterranean.
“In addition to the boats confirmed to be intercepted, live-stream coverage and communication has been lost with multiple other boats. We are diligently working to account for all participants and crew,” GSF said.
“Despite interception of a few vessels, the Global Sumud Flotilla is 70 nautical miles away from the Gaza coastline and will continue undeterred,” GSF added.
Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed that several vessels had been “safely stopped” and their passengers were being “transferred to an Israeli port.”
“Greta and her friends are safe and healthy,” the ministry said on X, referring to Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who can be seen sitting on the floor surrounded by military personnel in a video accompanying the social media post.
The foreign ministry said earlier Wednesday that the Israeli navy contacted the flotilla and “asked them to change course.”
“Israel has informed the flotilla that it is approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval blockade,” the ministry posted on X.
GSF said earlier that it had detected more than 20 unidentified vessels just three nautical miles ahead of the fleet.
After the interception, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of the participants and “guarantee their right to consular protection.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said, “If no one makes any mistakes, the matter should end without damage.”
Tajani said the military had received clear instructions from the Israeli government: “No acts of violence against the people aboard the flotilla.”
Here’s what we know about the flotilla.
Who is involved and what are their aims?
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) comprises more than 500 participants from dozens of countries, according to the organizers.
The convoy set sail from Barcelona, Spain, on August 31 and has been bolstered by other activist ships from other Mediterranean ports as it has moved closer to Gaza.
The flotilla was aiming to deliver food, water and medicine to civilians in Gaza in an attempt to break Israel’s maritime blockade of the territory, which has lasted 18 years.
Among the participants are lawmakers from Spain and Italy, as well as Thunberg.
How has Israel responded to it?
Israel’s foreign ministry had said that the flotilla would not be allowed to reach Gaza, and claimed that it would take “necessary measures” to prevent it from doing so.
The ministry said it has repeatedly offered alternative routes for the aid to enter Gaza, including a transfer via the port of Ashkelon in Israel.
However, the flotilla’s organizers had told CNN that they “will not be accepting the offer to give the aid to anyone other than the intended recipients, which are the civilians in Gaza.”
GSF also said that some of their vessels were targeted by drones and claimed the attacks were part of a sustained Israeli campaign of intimidation.
The Israeli military did not respond to a CNN request for comment on the alleged drone attacks, but Israel’s foreign ministry has said that it has found documents in Gaza that “prove Hamas’s direct involvement” in the funding and execution of the flotilla. GSF has dismissed these claims as “propaganda.”
How much international support does the flotilla have?
In response to the alleged attacks on the ships, both Italy and Spain said they would send naval vessels to assist the flotilla and help with any potential rescue operations.
However, Spain said its ship would not enter Israel’s maritime exclusion zone off Gaza’s coast, and Italy told the GSF that the vessels would remain at least 150 nautical miles from Gaza, according to Reuters.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also advised those on the flotilla against risking their safety by continuing the mission.
“There’s no need to risk one’s safety and enter a war zone to deliver aid to Gaza, which the Italian government could have delivered in a matter of hours,” she said on September 24.
What has happened to previous aid flotillas?
Overseas activists have tried to deliver aid in the past to Gaza but have either been intercepted by Israeli forces or come under some form of attack.
In May, activists on board an aid ship said they were targeted by an Israeli drone in international waters off Malta.
The Israeli military did not deny involvement in the drone attack and an Israeli Air Force cargo plane was picked up on flight trackers circling the waters near Malta for an extended period of time before the attack, according to flight-tracking website ADS-B Exchange.
And in 2010, Israeli forces attacked an aid flotilla in international waters, killing nine Turkish nationals and sparking outrage around the world.
A tenth person died of wounds sustained in the attack in 2014, after spending four years in a coma.
CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite, Niamh Kennedy and Antonia Mortensen contributed to this report.
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