Israel blocks third humanitarian aid flotilla from reaching Gaza

Israeli soldiers have intercepted a large flotilla carrying hundreds of activists, including the Irish president’s sister, who set sail from Turkey in a renewed attempt to break the blockade of Gaza. The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) said that 41 boats in a 54-vessel flotilla were intercepted in international waters and boarded by Israeli forces about 70 nautical miles off the coast of Cyprus. More than 300 activists on board were arrested, according to Israeli media. “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.” It was the latest attempt by GSF activists to reach Gaza with deliveries of aid, after Israel intercepted two other flotillas, one in April and one last year. After jamming the boats’ radios, the Israeli military broadcast the Britney Spears songOops!…I Did It Againto those on board at least one of the vessels, the organisers said. The IDF is playing Britney Spears “Oops I did it again” over the radio to the Gaza flotilla 🤣pic.twitter.com/VqmedamKRs The raids on the the boats, which set sail from Marmaris, came shortly after the Israeli foreign ministry warned them to turn back. GSF said there were 426 people taking part in the flotilla from 39 countries. Activists on board could be seen in a live stream putting on life jackets before Israeli soldiers began boarding the boats. Among the activists detained on Monday was the sister of Ireland’s president, who recorded a video to be released in the event of her arrest. “If you are watching this video, it means I have been kidnapped from my boat in the flotilla by the Israeli occupying forces, and I’m now being held illegally in an Israeli prison,” Dr Margaret Connolly, the sister of President Connolly, said. “I am so proud to be taking part in this flotilla — it is the largest to date.” Five other Irish citizens aboard the flotilla were also detained. Micheál Martin, the Irish prime minister, said it was unacceptable that Irish citizens had been detained. People had a right to protest and take part in a mission to highlight the “shocking” humanitarian issue in Gaza, he said. “In the first instance, what happened is absolutely unacceptable and is wrong,” Martin added.He said Ireland would be raising the issue at “European Union level”. The Indonesian newspaper Republika said nine Indonesians were part of the detained group, including two of its journalists. On Tuesday, GSF said that 10 vessels were still sailing towards the wartorn Palestinian territory. The Israeli foreign ministry had claimed the flotilla was a “provocation”, in a statement on Monday. “Once again, a provocation for the sake of provocation: another so-called ‘humanitarian aid flotilla’ with no humanitarian aid,” it said in a post on X. Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, praised his country’s naval forces, saying they had thwarted “a malicious scheme designed to break the blockade we have imposed on Hamas terrorists in Gaza”. “You are carrying this out with outstanding success … and certainly with far less fanfare than our enemies had anticipated … Carry on to the very end,” Netanyahu said, in a message to the military that was released by his office. However, Turkey condemned Israel’s intervention against the flotilla in international waters, calling it a “new act of piracy”. “Israel’s attacks and intimidation policies will in no way prevent the international community’s pursuit of justice or its solidarity with the Palestinian people,” the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement. “Israel must immediately end its intervention and unconditionally release the detained flotilla participants.” Turkey was working to secure the safe return of its own citizens taking part in the flotilla, the ministry added. Israel drew condemnation when it intercepted the previous flotilla late last month near Crete and detained more than 170 activists. Two of the activists, a Swede and a Brazilian, were held for two weeks and released only on Sunday. They accused Israel of torturing them while in custody, which it has denied. The first Global Sumud Flotilla, which included Greta Thunberg and Spanish MPs among the participants, wasintercepted in October. Under a ceasefire signed between Hamas and Israel last year, Israel agreed to allow more aid into the territory after a devastating war that brought Gazans to the brink of starvation. Human rights groups, however, say that not enough aid is coming through now the ceasefire has stalled, and Israel has frequently carried out airstrikes while Hamas refuses to disarm. Israeli authorities reject claims of aid shortages, saying the Palestinian territory is “flooded” with supplies. Over the weekend, Israel and Hamas announced that an airstrike killed Hamas’s military leader, Izz al-Din al-Haddad. The war, which destroyed much of Gaza, was sparked by a Hamas attack in October 2023 that killed more than 1,100 Israelis. Israel killed more than 70,000 Palestinians in response, according to the health authorities in Gaza, a toll that broadly been confirmed by Israeli officials. Promoted Content