In international waters
\nIncident marks second interception in days as Israel seizes 40 vessels, detains 450 activists
\n tel aviv
\nA group of vessels attempting to deliver aid to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on Wednesday, the coalition behind the convoy said, the second such interception in the past week.
\nThe Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is an international network of pro-Palestinian activist groups that organises civilian maritime missions aimed at breaking Israel\u2019s blockade of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the enclave.
\nThe flotilla\u2019s vessels and passengers were safe, had been transferred to an Israeli port and were expected to be deported promptly, Israel\u2019s foreign ministry said in a statement on X.
\n\u201cAnother futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone ended in nothing,\u201d the ministry said.
\nThe incident was the second such event in recent days, after Israel had intercepted about 40 vessels and detained more than 450 activists in an aid convoy, the Global Sumud Flotilla, that was also attempting to deliver supplies to Gaza.
\nThe FFC said Israeli forces \u201chijacked the humanitarian fleet,\u201d adding that the \u201cships were illegally intercepted … Participants\u2013humanitarians, doctors and journalists from across the world\u2013have been taken against their will and are being held in unknown conditions.\u201d
\n\u201cThe Israeli military has no legal jurisdiction over international waters,\u201d it said. \u201cOur flotilla poses no harm.\u201d
\nThe ships carried aid worth more than $110,000 in medicines, respiratory equipment and nutritional supplies intended for Gaza\u2019s starving hospitals, it added on its Instagram account.
\nGaza authorities say about 67,000 people have been killed and the Palestinian enclave devastated by Israel\u2019s assault since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken to Gaza as hostages in the Hamas attack.
\nThe Global Sumud Flotilla set sail last month, ferrying politicians and activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, towards Gaza, where the United Nations says famine is taking hold.
\nEarlier, Israeli forces intercepted and seized the Global Sumud Flotilla\u2019s last remaining vessel, the Marinette, on Friday morning. Organizers said the Marinette was about 80 nautical miles from Gaza on Thursday night, and about 10 nautical miles from where Israel began intercepting other boats in the flotilla.
\nCameras broadcasting live feeds from the boats showed armed Israeli soldiers in helmets and night vision goggles boarding the ships, while passengers huddled in life vests with their hands up after its military intercepted almost all 40 boats in the flotilla carrying aid to Gaza.
\nMore than 450 foreign activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg were detained. A video from the Israeli foreign ministry showed Thunberg sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers.
\nThousands of supporters of the flotilla held mass demonstrations in multiple cities across the globe. Demonstrators took to the streets in cities across Europe as well as in Karachi, Buenos Aires and Mexico City to protest Israel\u2019s capturing of the activists. Italian unions have also called for a general strike on Friday.
\nThunberg, 22, best known for her environmental protests, had pre-recorded a video that was released on her behalf after her ship was boarded.
\n\u201cIf you are watching this video, I have been abducted and taken against my will by Israeli forces,\u201d she said. \u201cOur humanitarian mission was non-violent and abiding by international law.\u201d
\nItalian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he expected the members of the flotilla to be expelled from Israel on Monday and Tuesday and sent to European capitals on charter flights.
\nThe Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement it was taking all the people it had captured from the flotilla ashore at Ashdod, and that all were \u201csafe and in good health\u201d.
\nTurkish President Tayyip Erdogan criticised Israeli aggression, saying it showed Israel\u2019s government has no intention of letting hopes for peace grow.
\n\u201cI condemn the thuggery directed at the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set out to draw attention to the barbarity of children dying of hunger in Gaza and to deliver humanitarian aid to the oppressed Palestinians,\u201d he said in a speech to officials from his AK Party in the capital Ankara.
\nThe Istanbul chief prosecutor\u2019s office said it had launched an investigation into the detention of 24 Turkish citizens on the vessels, Turkey\u2019s state-owned Anadolu news agency reported. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa urged Israel to immediately release South Africans who were on the flotilla, including former President Nelson Mandela\u2019s grandson, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In international waters Incident marks second interception in days as Israel seizes 40 vessels, detains 450 activists tel aviv A group of vessels attempting to deliver aid to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on Wednesday, the coalition behind the convoy said, the second such interception in the past […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":507557,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-507538","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n