GAZA, (PIC)
The Hamas Movement said on Monday that Israel’s naval attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla was “a full-fledged act of piracy.” Israeli forces earlier today intercepted vessels that had set sail from Türkiye in an attempt to break the blockade on Gaza.
In a statement, the Movement said the Israeli navy’s assault on the flotilla, along with the attack on activists and their detention, targeted people carrying out a humanitarian and moral mission in support of Gaza.
Hamas accused Israel’s government of committing piracy against international activists standing with Palestinians in the besieged enclave, where more than two million people continue to face genocide, starvation and blockade.
The Movement called on the international community, the United Nations, and human rights and humanitarian organizations to condemn the attack, hold Israeli leaders accountable for violations of international law, secure the immediate release of the detained activists, and work to end the blockade on Gaza.
Hamas also praised the activists aboard the flotilla, saying they had carried Gaza’s humanitarian message to the world and challenged Israel’s “terror and arrogance.” It urged continued Freedom and Sumud flotilla efforts in support of Palestinians until the blockade is broken and the occupation ends.
Israeli naval forces began seizing the Global Sumud Flotilla on Monday morning after the convoy departed last Thursday from the Turkish coast.
A flotilla activist told Al-Jazeera Mubasher that contact had been lost with around 23 vessels following the interception and that Israeli forces had detained 180 activists aboard the intercepted boats.
