In a seemingly abhorrent and illegal move, Israeli forces have intercepted at least 13 vessels carrying foreign activists and aid bound for Gaza. The boats were sailing as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, attempting to provide humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.
According to Instagram posts by the flotilla organisers, one can clearly see now verified videos of activists with soldiers on board.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, transporting medicine and food to Gaza, consists of more than 40 civilian boats with about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists from over 20 countries.
What happened onboard the Global Sumud Flotilla?
As of 2 October, Thursday morning, reports and statements from the Global Sumud Flotilla organisers declare that Israel intercepted a flotilla of boats carrying humanitarian aid.
They reported that Israeli naval forces boarded the vessels about 70 nautical miles (130km) off the coast of Gaza, cutting communications and jamming signals as the flotilla neared the blockaded enclave.
The flotilla’s organisers denounced Wednesday’s raid as a “war crime.” They said the military used aggressive tactics, including the use of water cannon, but that no one was harmed.
A video from the Israeli foreign ministry showed the most prominent of the flotilla’s passengers, Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers. Other high-profile passengers include Mandla Mandela, a grandson of Nelson Mandela; and elected lawmakers from Italy.
Governments of Columbia, Venezuela, Ireland and more have not taken the incident lightly, taking to X and Telegram to publicly voice disdain.
The flotilla posted several videos on Telegram with messages from individuals aboard the various boats, some holding their passports and claiming they were abducted and taken to Israel against their will. Reports also suggest that all communications with the passengers on board have now been jammed, and there are also suggestions of previous drone attacks and more.
What is the Global Sumud Flotilla attempting to do?
According to an op-ed by Zukiswa Wanner and Jared Sacks, ‘The Global Sumud Flotilla is the largest citizen-led humanitarian flotilla mission to Gaza ever, combining previous humanitarian missions to Gaza over land, sea and air.’
The GSF is only the latest sea-borne attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, which after two years of genocide has been facing an acute humanitarian crisis. While they carry only a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid and essentials, they hope to open the maritime passage for aid to Gaza that has long been blocked off.
Thirty boats still continue to sail towards Gaza, flotilla organisers said in a post on Telegram early on Thursday, stating they were 46 nautical miles away from their destination.
When did the naval blockade begin?
Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza since Hamas took control of the coastal enclave in 2007 and there have been several previous attempts by activists to deliver aid by sea.
In 2010, nine activists were killed after Israeli soldiers boarded a flotilla of six ships manned by 700 pro-Palestinian activists from 50 countries.
In June this year, Israeli naval forces detained Thunberg and 11 crew members from a small ship organised by a pro-Palestinian group called the Freedom Flotilla Coalition as they approached Gaza.
Protests have errupted across the world, with calls for worldwide shut downs for Palestine. As of now, Israel has raised unsubstantiated accusations of the GSF having ties to Hamas. They’ve also maintained that they will do ‘whatever it takes’ to stop the flotilla from reaching Gaza.
Among other fanciful claims, Israeli authorities say volunteers were trying to “breach a lawful naval blockade” (untrue, goes against international law). They also added that all civilians on board were safe, healthy and will be diverted to the nearest Israeli port from where they shall be deported.
The country is currently under near shutdown owing to the Yom Kippur holiday, post which courts will open and proceed.
Watch this space for more updates.