Israeli forces intercept Gaza-bound flotilla in Mediterranean, organizers say

Israeli forces have moved to stop a large humanitarian flotilla bound for Gaza, intercepting several vessels in international waters using drones, communication disruption, and armed boarding units, according to organizers and Israeli media reports.

On Thursday, the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said their vessels were approached by Israeli forces while sailing in the Mediterranean.

"Our boats were approached by military speedboats, self-identified as ‘Israel’, pointing lasers and semi-automatic assault weapons, ordering participants to the front of the boats and to get on their hands and knees," the flotilla said.

In a social media statement, the group added, "Israeli military boats have illegally surrounded the flotilla in international waters and threatened kidnapping and violence."

The flotilla also reported a loss of contact with multiple vessels.

"Communication with 11 vessels have been lost and Israeli media claims that 7 boats have been intercepted. Governments must act now to protect the flotilla."

Israeli army radio, citing an unnamed source, said Israeli forces had begun seizing control of ships heading towards the Gaza Strip, with seven of the 58 vessels intercepted near the Greek island of Crete.

The Israeli regime’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon said the flotilla had been "stopped before reaching" what he called "our area" and described the participants as "a group of delusional attention-seeking agitators."

Gur Tsabar, a spokesperson for the flotilla, described the incident as "a straight-up attack on unarmed civilian boats in international waters."

Speaking to Qatar's Al Jazeera network from Toronto, he said the operation was taking place "hundreds of miles from Israel" and that vessels were being "surrounded and threatened at gunpoint."

"This is illegal under international law. Israel has no jurisdiction in these waters. Boarding these boats amounts to illegal detention – potentially kidnapping on the high seas," Tsabar said.

"It’s critical that all governments act now. Every government has an obligation to protect the over 400 civilians on board and to uphold international law. Silence in this moment is absolute complicity."

Tariq Ra’ouf, an activist on board one of the vessels, said Israeli naval forces surrounded the fleet using larger ships and smaller rigid inflatable boats.

"From those military ships, a bunch of smaller military RIBs began surrounding many of our vessels. Drones have been surrounding us and flashing us with lights. And we’ve been getting messages from the Israeli military through our radio, saying that we are breaking international law and that we need to stop," he said.

Ra’ouf added that the operation unfolded over several hours, while the flotilla was travelling towards Crete in international waters.

"We’ve lost communication with many of our boats," he said, noting that the flotilla’s communications were jammed by the Israeli military playing music over radio channels as "some sort of psychological warfare tactic."

"We are in international waters, and so this is a really, truly, unprecedented move from Israel, because we are nowhere near Gaza," he added.

Israeli sources, meanwhile, indicated that the operation aimed to catch the flotilla off guard by intercepting it far from Gaza.

The fleet was estimated to be about 600 nautical miles (1,111 km) from Gaza at the time.

Previous interceptions by the Israeli regime had occurred much closer, with the furthest prior incident reported at 72 nautical miles (133 km).

More than 50 vessels carrying activists from multiple countries had departed Italy days earlier, in what organizers described as the largest attempt to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza by sea.

A similar operation in October saw Israeli forces intercept around 40 flotilla boats, detaining more than 450 participants. Among those detained were individuals including the grandson of Nelson Mandela, climate activist Greta Thunberg, and European Parliament member Rima Hassan.

Some of those detained later reported physical and psychological abuse in custody. The regime subsequently deported the activists.

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