On Wednesday, Israeli military forces intercepted a convoy of ships attempting to breach the naval blockade of Gaza. This action was confirmed by both the Israeli Foreign Ministry and Adalah, a legal advocacy group representing the activists onboard.
More than 140 activists aboard the flotilla were detained by Israel, according to Adalah.
The interception occurred around 4:30 a.m. local time, approximately 120 nautical miles from Gaza, in what Adalah spokeswoman Miriam Azem described as international waters. The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that the activists were being transported to Israel for deportation.
This latest flotilla represents an ongoing effort by pro-Palestinian activists to challenge Israel’s maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip. Activists argue that the blockade constitutes an illegal collective punishment of Palestinian civilians, while Israel maintains it is a legitimate military action.
Just last week, Israel also detained over 400 international activists, among them Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, who had attempted to reach the Gaza coast in numerous vessels. Approximately 20 Americans were among those detained.
Following that earlier interception, most of those activists had been deported by Wednesday. However, seven individuals remain in Israeli detention, according to Ms. Azem, whose organization provides legal support for both groups.
Now in its third year, Israel’s military actions in Gaza have significantly fueled pro-Palestinian sentiment across many European nations and in the United States, where public support for Israel has sharply declined.
The ongoing Israeli military campaign targeting Hamas has tragically resulted in over 67,000 deaths in Gaza, including thousands of children, according to figures from Gaza health officials who typically do not differentiate between civilian and combatant casualties. This conflict began after a Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people and led to 250 hostages being taken.
Palestinians in Gaza have faced a horrific two years marked by widespread hunger, displacement, and relentless bombardment. United Nations bodies and humanitarian organizations report that Israeli policies have contributed to severe food shortages and even localized famine conditions in Gaza, allegations that Israel has consistently denied.
The interception of the previous flotilla, which included Greta Thunberg, sparked protests in Italy and various other nations, drawing significant international attention.
Adalah’s spokeswoman, Ms. Azem, reported that lawyers who met with the detainees heard accounts of mistreatment, including being kept on their knees with bound hands for extended periods, confinement in overcrowded cells, and insufficient access to drinking water.
However, the Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed these allegations of mistreatment as ‘fake news.’