A flotilla bound for Gaza with aid for the war-battered Palestinian territory said on Wednesday that it would continue its course despite what it called “intimidation tactics” by the Israeli military.
The flotilla of some 45 vessels carrying activists and politicians, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg and Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela, departed Spain last month with the aim of breaking the blockade on Gaza, where the UN has said there is a famine.
“In the early hours of this morning, Israeli occupation naval forces launched an intimidatory operation against the Global Sumud Flotilla,” the organisers said in a statement as the vessels approached waters off Egypt, where previous attempts have been intercepted.
Spain and Italy, both of which have sent naval vessels to escort the flotilla, have urged the ships to stop travelling towards Israel’s declared exclusion zone off Gaza.
After departing Spain, the flotilla stopped in Tunisia for 10 days, where organisers said it was targeted in two drone attacks, before resuming its journey on 15 September.
One of the flotilla’s main vessels, the Alma “was aggressively circled by an Israeli warship for several minutes” the group, whose name means “steadfastness” in Arabic, said in the statement.
“Shortly after, the same naval vessel targeted Sirius, repeating similar harassing manoeuvres for an extended period of time — before finally departing,” the statement added.
Marie Mesmeur, a French lawmaker from the radical left-wing LFI party who is on board the Sirius, told AFP that she saw at least two unidentified ships, one of which was “very, very close”.
There was also “a military patrol boat with a huge light pointed at us”, she said, explaining that during the incident all radar and internet communications on the boat were cut.
-‘Stop now’-
In another statement on X, the flotilla said it remained “vigilant as we enter the area where the previous flotillas were intercepted and/or attacked”.
Israel has already blocked two attempts by activists to deliver aid by ship to Gaza, in June and July.
In June, 12 activists on board the sailboat Madleen, including Thunberg, were intercepted by Israeli forces 185 kilometres (115 miles) west of Gaza.
At 0530 GMT, the Global Sumud Flotilla reported that it was in the Mediterranean north of the Egyptian coast and approaching the 120 nautical mile mark (approximately 220 kilometres) from Palestinian territory.
“We sail on undeterred by Israeli threats and tactics of intimidation,” the flotilla, which also carries French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, added in its statement on X.
Italy and Spain dispatched naval vessels to escort the flotilla, following condemnation by the UN and EU of “attacks” off the Greek island of Crete last week when organisers said drones had dropped explosive devices on the activists’ ships.
Spain’s Minister for Digital Transformation Oscar Lopez, on Wednesday, urged the flotilla not to cross into Israel’s declared exclusion zone, extending 150 nautical miles off Gaza.
“Our message to the flotilla has been clear: do not enter that zone,” he told Spanish public television, adding that Spain’s naval escort would not cross into the exclusion area.
Italy, too, urged the activists to “stop now” on Wednesday, after its frigate also halted at the 150-nautical-mile limit, broadcasting radio messages to the activists’ vessels asking them to abandon their mission.
The activists said Spain and Italy’s decision was an attempt to “sabotage” their endeavours.
fka-bou/csp
