Israeli forces have intercepted at least 40 boats carrying aid and foreign activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, to Gaza, triggering international condemnation and protests on Thursday.
Cameras broadcasting live feeds from the boats, verified by Reuters, showed Israeli soldiers sporting helmets and night vision goggles boarding the ships, while passengers huddled together in life vests with their hands up.
A video from the Israeli foreign ministry showed Ms Thunberg, the most prominent of the flotilla’s passengers, sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers.
Ms Thunberg (22) had pre-recorded a video which was released on her behalf after her ship was boarded.
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“If you are watching this video, I have been abducted and taken against my will by Israeli forces. Our humanitarian mission was non-violent and abiding by international law,” she said.
Some 15 Irish citizens were part of the group of activists taking part in the flotilla operation and have now been detained by Israel.
[ Gaza flotilla: Who are the Irish detainees?Opens in new window ]
According to a tracker on the organiser, Global Sumud Flotilla’s website, 41 boats were listed as “intercepted” or “assumed intercepted”. Another one, Marinette, was listed as still “sailing” around 6pm Irish time on Thursday.
Those vessels intercepted and those on board were expected to be taken initially to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where one ship was seen arriving by a Reuters witness.
“All the passengers are safe and in good health. They are making their way safely to Israel, from where they will be deported to Europe,” the Israeli foreign ministry said on X.
“One last vessel of this provocation remains at a distance. If it approaches, its attempt to enter an active combat zone and breach the blockade will also be prevented,” it added.
South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa joined international condemnation of Israel’s move.
Mr Ramaphosa called on Israel to immediately release South Africans who were on the flotilla, including former president Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela.
The activists are expected to be transferred to the immigration authority upon arrival in Ashdod, from where they will be moved to Ketziot Prison in southern Israel before they are deported, said Suhad Bishara, the director at Adalah, a human rights organisation and legal centre in Israel.
The flotilla is transporting medicine and food to Gaza and consists of more than 40 civilian vessels with about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists.
[ 'They are here!': Beginning of the end of the Gaza flotillaOpens in new window ]
Turkey’s foreign ministry called Israel’s “attack” on the flotilla “an act of terror” that endangered the lives of innocent civilians.
Colombian president Gustavo Petro ordered the expulsion of Israel’s entire diplomatic delegation on Wednesday following the detention of two Colombians in the flotilla and terminated Colombia’s free trade agreement with Israel.
Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim condemned Israel’s actions and said Israeli forces had detained 23 Malaysians.
Israel’s interception of the flotilla sparked protests in Italy and Colombia, while protests were also called in Greece, Ireland and Turkey. Italian unions called a general strike for Friday.
Israel’s navy had previously warned the flotilla it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful blockade, and asked organisers to change course.
[ The four potentially tricky elements in Gaza ceasefire planOpens in new window ]
It had offered to transfer any aid peacefully through safe channels to Gaza.
In a statement, Hamas expressed support for the activists and called Israel’s interception of the flotilla a “criminal act”, calling for public protests to condemn Israel.
The boats were about 70 nautical miles off Gaza when they were intercepted, inside a zone that Israel is policing to stop any boats approaching. The organisers said their communications, including the use of a live camera feed from some of the boats, had been scrambled.
Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt.
Elsewhere on Thursday, Hamas was still considering its response to US president Donald Trump’s peace proposal aimed at ending the nearly two-year war in Gaza as Israeli strikes and gunfire overnight killed at least 41 Palestinians in the besieged territory.
The plan, which has received wide international support, requires Hamas to release all remaining hostages, leave power in Gaza and disarm in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners and an end to fighting.
However, the proposal, which has been accepted by Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, sets no path to Palestinian statehood.
A senior Hamas official told the Associated Press on Wednesday that some points in the proposal agreed by Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu are unacceptable and must be amended, without elaborating.
The plan guarantees the flow of humanitarian aid and promises reconstruction in Gaza, placing it and more than two million Palestinians under international governance.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians and wounded nearly 170,000 others, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government. UN agencies and many independent experts view its figures as the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. – Reuters/AP
