On one the vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla before it was intercepted by Israeli forces
As it starves Palestinians, the Israeli state has attacked a flotilla trying to deliver aid to the besieged Gaza Strip.
Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla on Wednesday evening—and boarded some of its vessels.
The Flotilla said, “Our vessels are being illegally intercepted. Cameras are offline and vessels have been boarded by military personnel.
“We are actively working to confirm the safety and status of all participants on board.”
The vessels boarded include one carrying climate justice activist Greta Thunberg.
The flotilla is made up of over 50 boats and nearly 500 people from 46 countries. Boats have joined from ports across the Mediterranean in an attempt to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.
The flotilla reached the “high-risk zone” on Wednesday, less than 150 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza.
Activists say that the lead boat’s communication systems were temporarily blocked on Wednesday as the warship approached, cutting off its ability to communicate with the other vessels.
The Israeli military has said it intends to take control of the flotilla as it nears the coast. It will tow some of the vessels and sink others at sea.
Activists fear a repeat of previous attempts to reach Gaza with aid by sea. The Madleen and Handala ships were both boarded and seized by Israel this summer. Those on board were arrested and deported.
In 2010, Israel killed 10 Turkish activists attempting to deliver aid to Gaza on the Mavi Mamara while it was in international waters.
The Italian state sent a navy ship to accompany the flotilla, which has Italian citizens onboard, after it was attacked by drones armed with stun grenades last week. But the ship announced on Tuesday that it would be turning back as the flotilla reaches the high-risk zone.
There is huge support in Italy for the Palestinians. But the fascist-led government wants to avoid a “diplomatic incident” by launching a direct confrontation with its avowed ally, Israel.
Defence minister Guido Crosetto has urged the flotilla to deliver aid to drop the aid in Cyprus instead where they claim it will be collected and delivered to Gaza. But the flotilla participants are determined to press ahead and reach Gaza.
In Egypt, activists raised funds and collected food and medicines in a bid to be part of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
But the Egyptian Sumud flotilla has been denied permission from the regime to launch boats from the north African country’s coast. Organisers said they were threatened by security agencies.
Vessel owners at the ports were warned against leasing their boats for the project.
Now there are fresh fears for three of the activists involved who have been missing since late on Monday.
The Egyptian state claims to support Palestinian liberation. It has been lobbying to increase the amount of aid going into Gaza, with which it shares a land border. But at the same time, Egypt has cracked down on ordinary people’s efforts to organise solidarity.
Participants in the flotilla have repeatedly defied Israel’s efforts to harass and punish them. The flotilla demonstrates the depth of feeling among ordinary people who are willing to risk their safety to help desperate Palestinians. And it shows that we can’t rely on states like Egypt to offer real liberation.
In Britain, a powerful response to the interception is to build and escalate the Palestine movement.
Surge pricing could create ‘new class of poor’
Reform UK MP has no understanding of low-paid work
