Israel has intercepted aid ships bound for Gaza in international waters near Greece, flotilla organisers said on Thursday, decrying the move as an “escalation of Israel’s impunity”.
The Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza sailed from the Spanish port of Barcelona on April 12th, aiming to try to break the Israeli blockade.
President Catherine Connolly’s sister Margaret Connolly is aboard one of the vessels forming part of the flotilla.
The flotilla has said its objective is “breaking the illegal blockade on Gaza and establishing a people’s sea corridor” for food and medicines and other essential supplies. It also claims to have assembled the largest fleet dedicated to breaking the siege of Gaza, with more than 1,000 participants.
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The vessels were seized on Thursday night by Israel hundreds of kilometres from Gaza, said the organisers.
“This is piracy,” the group said in a statement. “This is the unlawful seizure of human beings on the open sea near Crete, an assertion that Israel can operate with total impunity, far beyond its own borders, with no consequences.”
No state had the right to claim, police, or occupy international waters, but Israel had done that, extending its control outward to occupy the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Europe, it added.
“We demand immediate answers and accountability,” the statement said. “Where are the abducted civilians? Where were they taken? Were European governments co-ordinating with the Israelis to facilitate the abductions?
“Deeper question remains: how has Israel been allowed to reach a point where it can carry out abductions in plain sight, against unarmed civilians, without fear of consequence?”
Israel’s UN envoy, Danny Danon, said the flotilla “was stopped before reaching our area”.
In a posting on X, he added, “Our brave [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers are acting with professionalism and determination dealing with a group of delusional attention-seeking agitators.”
Israel’s military halted a previous flotilla assembled by the same organisation last October in an attempt to reach blockaded Gaza, arresting Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and more than 450 participants.
Connolly, originally from Co Galway, is a GP and activist based in Co Sligo. She is one of the President’s 13 siblings. In an interview with The Sligo Champion before her departure, Connolly said: “I have joined the flotilla because we cannot stand by while millions are subjected to forced starvation and an illegal siege.”
Israel, which controls all access to the Gaza Strip, denies withholding supplies for its two million residents.
Palestinians and international aid bodies say supplies reaching the territory are still insufficient, despite a ceasefire reached in October that included guarantees of increased aid. – Reuters
