GAZA, (PIC)
Israeli naval forces began an operation Monday to seize the Global Sumud Flotilla heading to the Gaza Strip, days after the convoy left the Turkish port of Marmaris in a renewed attempt to break Israel’s blockade on the enclave.
A flotilla activist told Al-Jazeera Mubasher that contact had been lost with about 23 vessels after the Israeli interception began. She said Israeli forces detained 180 activists aboard boats and ships intercepted by the Israeli navy.
Israel’s Channel 12 reported that the Shayetet 13 naval commando unit had begun taking control of the flotilla’s vessels. Al-Jazeera said four Israeli warships approached the convoy and ordered crews to shut down their engines ahead of the interception.
Israeli media reported that some activists were transferred to a military vessel prepared as a floating detention site before their expected transfer to Ashdod port. A flotilla source said the interception of one vessel would not stop the rest of the convoy from continuing toward Gaza.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of 54 vessels, includes hundreds of activists from nearly 70 countries, among them doctors, lawyers and journalists. Organizers say the mission is peaceful and humanitarian, aimed at challenging Israel’s blockade of Gaza, imposed since 2007.
The Israeli operation followed a security meeting held Sunday by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss how to handle the flotilla, according to the Jerusalem Post. Israeli assessments expected the vessels to reach the area within 48 hours.
Al-Jazeera’s bureau chief in Palestine said Israel’s plan was to intercept the flotilla in the economic waters before it reached territorial waters, using floating platforms and vessels to detain activists at sea and avoid transferring them directly to Israeli or foreign ports.
Flotilla spokesperson Nour Saad described the attack as a blatant violation of international law and maritime navigation rules. She said Israel was directly targeting a humanitarian mission, held it fully responsible for the safety of all participants and called for urgent international action.
The interception comes amid repeated attempts to break the naval blockade on Gaza and growing legal and human rights warnings over the seizure of civilian vessels in international waters.
