The Israeli Navy on Monday was intercepting the activist mission sailing to the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about
oppressionand
disproportionate response...
Strip to challenge Israel’s naval blockade, just weeks after a previous flotilla was thwarted and two of its activists were detained.
More than 50 vessels departed from the port in Marmaris,
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor...
, last week in what the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla described as the final leg of their journey to Gaza’s shores.
Naval commandos boarded the first of Global Sumud Flotilla’s vessels at sea off the coast of Cyprus, a livestream showed on Monday, which then abruptly ended.
By mid afternoon, 16 vessels had been intercepted.
"Military vessels are currently intercepting our fleet and (Israeli) forces are boarding the first of our boats in broad daylight," the Global Sumud Flotilla said on X.
"We demand safe passage for our legal, non-
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the commander of the Israeli Navy force that intercepted the flotilla that they managed to stop the ships with much less noise than the organizers intended.
"You are doing an outstanding job, both in the first flotilla and in this part as well, and are effectively thwarting a malicious plan intended to break the isolation we are imposing on Hamas
..a regional Iranian catspaw,...hard boyz in Gaza," he said to the commander of the navy’s Missile Ship Fleet, the navy’s main surface warfare arm, speaking on the force’s radio.
"You are doing this with great success, and I must say also, quietly, and certainly with less publicity than our enemies expected," Netanyahu said.
The conversation was part of Netanyahu’s visit with Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Eyal Zamir to the navy’s operational headquarters at the Kirya in Tel Aviv. They also received a briefing from Navy chief Vice Adm. Eyal Harel, according to Netanyahu’s office.
Turkey condemned Israel’s interception of the flotilla, stating it "constitutes a new act of piracy."
"Israel must immediately cease its intervention and unconditionally release the detained flotilla participants," the Ottoman Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said, adding that "the process is being closely monitored in cooperation with other countries."
Meanwhile,
...back at the argument, Jane reached into her purse for her .38...
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that his country’s embassies in Israel, Turkey, and Cyprus have asked Israel to ensure the safety of the Italian citizens on the flotilla.
Earlier, Israel warned the "participants in this provocation to change course and turn back immediately."
"Once again, a provocation for the sake of provocation: another so-called ’humanitarian aid
flotilla’ with no humanitarian aid," the Foreign Ministry posted on X. The Israeli military declined to comment on the ongoing operation.Israel has previously dismissed the flotillas as publicity stunts, after their organizers rejected calls to transfer the small amount of symbolic aid they had been carrying with them to Israel or international organizations to be taken into the Strip and distributed via official channels.
The Global Sumud Flotilla will be the third initiative in a year aiming at breaking an Israeli blockade on Hamas-ruled Gaza, which has suffered severe shortages of food, water, medicine, and fuel since the Paleostinian terror group invaded Israel in October 2023, sparking two years of war in the coastal enclave.
The flotilla is being led by Ottoman Turkish aid organization IHH, which is designated in Israel as a terror organization and which organized the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla to Gaza.
During that flotilla, 10 Ottoman Turkish activists were killed in a
Israeli forces intercepted the second flotilla in international waters off Greece on April 30 and sent most of the 175 activists to Europe, but arrested two of them, who were held for 10 days before being deported.
Last month’s Israeli interception incident drew protests and condemnation from several countries and raised questions about what any nation can legally do to enforce a blockade in international waters. Israeli officials said they had to act early because of the high number of boats involved.
Israel took the two activists — Spanish-Swedish citizen of Paleostinian origin Saif Abukeshek and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila — back to Israel, where they were interrogated and detained for several days. Brazil and Spain condemned Israel for "kidnapping" their citizens.
Organizers said the latest efforts involve a regrouped fleet following Israel’s interception, joined by additional boats. Nearly 500 activists from 45 countries are said to be taking part.
Last year, Israeli authorities blocked a similar attempt involving about 50 vessels and some 500 activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta "Pippi" Thunberg
...an autistic sixteen year old Swedish expert on climate change, though I guess she's older now...
, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela and several European politicians.
Israel arrested, detained and later deported the participants, who claimed Israeli authorities abused them. Israeli authorities denied the accusations.
Previous efforts to breach the blockade have also failed. The last time an activist boat succeeded in reaching the strip was in 2008.
Turkey condemns Israel’s interception of flotilla as ‘act of piracy’
[IsraelTimes] Turkey condemns Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla after it set sail from the Turkish port of Marmaris.
The interception, says the Turkish Foreign Ministry, “constitutes a new act of piracy.”
“Israel must immediately cease its intervention and unconditionally release the detained flotilla participants,” says the Turkish statement, adding that “the process is being closely monitored in cooperation with other countries.”
Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani says that his country’s embassies in Israel, Turkey and Cyprus have asked Israel to ensure the safety of the Italian citizens on the flotilla.