OCCUPIED AL-QUDS: Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on Monday after it sailed from Turkiye last week, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denouncing the mission as a “malicious scheme” intended to support Hamas.
The Global Sumud Flotilla vessels are the latest in a string of attempts by activists to breach Israel´s blockade of the Palestinian territory, with the last convoy intercepted by Israeli forces last month.
“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.”
“We are outraged by the normalisation of these violations of international maritime law and the kidnapping of peaceful civilians in international waters,” it said, demanding the swift release of the activists and the end of the blockade of Gaza.
A website tracking the flotilla´s location showed several vessels being intercepted west of Cyprus.
Netanyahu condemned the latest attempt to deliver aid to Gaza by sea.
He told the commander of the interception force, “I believe you are doing an extraordinary job... thwarting a malicious scheme designed to break the blockade we have imposed on Hamas terrorists in Gaza,” according to a statement from his office. “You are carrying this out with outstanding success... and certainly with far less fanfare than our enemies had anticipated,” Netanyahu said.
