Israeli forces intercept a Gaza-bound aid flotilla sailing from Turkey, with Netanyahu calling it a “malicious scheme” and organisers condemning the “abduction” of volunteers.
JERUSALEM: Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on Monday after it sailed from Turkey last week, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denouncing the mission as a “malicious scheme” intended to support Hamas.
The Global Sumud Flotilla vessels are the latest in a string of attempts by activists to breach Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory, with the last convoy intercepted by Israeli forces last month.
“Global Sumud Flotilla is under attack!” the group wrote on X. “The Israeli occupation has again illegally and violently intercepted our international fleet of humanitarian vessels and abducted our volunteers.”
“We are outraged by the normalisation of these violations of international maritime law and the kidnapping of peaceful civilians in international waters,” it said, demanding the swift release of the activists and the end of the blockade of Gaza.
A website tracking the flotilla’s location showed several vessels being intercepted west of Cyprus.
Netanyahu condemned the latest attempt to deliver aid to Gaza by sea.
He told the commander of the interception force, “I believe you are doing an extraordinary job… thwarting a malicious scheme designed to break the blockade we have imposed on Hamas terrorists in Gaza,” according to a statement from his office.
“You are carrying this out with outstanding success… and certainly with far less fanfare than our enemies had anticipated,” Netanyahu said.
Earlier on Monday, the Israeli foreign ministry denounced the convoy as a provocation and vowed to prevent it from reaching Gaza.
“This time, two violent Turkish groups — Mavi Marmara and IHH, the latter designated as a terrorist organisation — are part of the provocation,” it said on X.
‘State terrorism’
Hamas political bureau member, Bassem Naim, condemned the interception, describing it as “state terrorism and systematic undermining of the entire international order”.
Around 50 ships had departed from southwestern Turkey on Thursday.
Ankara slammed the interception, saying it was a “new act of piracy” by Israel.
Spain also condemned the interception.
“I want to reiterate my condemnation of this action by Israel outside its territorial jurisdiction,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said at a press conference.
“No Israeli agent has any jurisdiction in those waters.”
Israel’s relations with Turkey and Spain have been strained since the Gaza war erupted.
Activist Suayb Ordu, who was aboard one of the vessels, told Turkish channel NTV that the activists had “no choice but to raise our hands and surrender peacefully without offering any resistance”.
“We are not going there to fight or commit acts of violence; we are trying to prove the opposite to the world.”
Indonesian newspaper Republika said nine Indonesians were part of the detained group, including two of its journalists.
“This action is a serious violation of international law, the universal principles of humanity, and the civil liberties of global citizens carrying aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza,” the paper’s editor-in-chief Andi Muhyiddin said in a video statement.
Fifteen Irish citizens were on the flotilla, including Margaret Connolly, sister of President Catherine Connolly, organisers said.
In a video which appears to have been recorded in advance of her detention, Margaret Connolly said: “If you are watching this video, it means I have been kidnapped from my boat in the flotilla by the Israeli occupying forces”.
Aid shortages
Israeli foreign ministry released footage to journalists showing a group of activists embracing aboard an Israeli vessel after being removed from the flotilla.
“So far, no aid has been found on their boats,” ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein told journalists in a text message.
The ministry rejected claims that Gaza was facing aid shortages.
“The Gaza Strip is flooded with aid. Since October alone, more than 1.58 million tons of humanitarian aid and thousands of tons of medical supplies have entered Gaza,” it said.
Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007.
During the Gaza war, triggered by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, the territory has suffered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies, with Israel at times halting aid deliveries entirely.
A previous flotilla attempt was intercepted last month in international waters off Greece, with most activists expelled to Europe.
