Nicosia, Cyprus. Israeli navy commandos boarded a vessel from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla off the coast of Cyprus on Monday, according to video footage circulating online. The incident is the latest in a series of interceptions of the activist convoy across the Mediterranean.
Boarding and warnings at sea
Israel had warned participants they must “change course and return immediately.” The Global Flotilla said two warships had been spotted surrounding its vessels and that contact was lost with one ship it said was being harassed by the Israeli military.
Israel’s position on the flotilla and aid delivery
Israel had previously dismissed the flotilla as a media stunt, saying organisers had rejected calls to hand over the aid they were carrying to Israel or to international organisations for legal entry into Gaza through official channels. Israeli officials said the humanitarian effort in Gaza was being managed by international mechanisms and that there was “no humanitarian vacuum that the flotilla is filling.”
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said in an earlier statement that the flotilla had been “stopped before reaching our area” and that Israeli soldiers were acting with “determination dealing with a group of delusional attention-seeking agitators.”
International reactions
Amnesty International called earlier interceptions “brazen and unlawful,” saying they underscored “the dangerous consequences of decades of impunity.” Turkey labelled the seizures an “act of piracy,” while Spain called them “illegal” and Germany and Italy expressed “grave concern.”
Earlier detention and regrouping
Two flotilla leaders, Palestinian activist Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila, were taken to Israel and jailed following an earlier interception. Around 30 remaining vessels subsequently headed to the Turkish port of Marmaris to regroup and develop an updated legal strategy.
What do you think the next steps should be for the remaining flotilla vessels after regrouping in Marmaris?
