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Turkiye condemns flotilla interception, calls it terrorist act
Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry has condemned Israel’s naval interception of the Sumud Flotilla, describing it as a “terrorist” act.
Earlier this week, flight data showed that Turkiye – alongside Spain, Italy and Greece – was monitoring the flotilla.
Tracking websites indicated that three long-endurance drones from Corlu airbase had circled over the ships for three days.
Israeli navy spraying water on vessels
Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting that the Israeli navy is spraying large amounts of water on the ships of the Sumud Flotilla.
As we have been reporting, this comes after Israeli forces intercepted a number of the flotilla’s vessels.
At least six Gaza aid flotilla boats intercepted
According to Israeli media, including Channel 13, six boats have been intercepted so far, among them the vessel Alma. Reports suggest more interceptions are expected.
Israeli soldiers have boarded the ships and detained many of the activists on board. Those detained would normally go through a legal process, but Israel is currently under near-total shutdown because of the Yom Kippur holiday.
That means courts and prisons are not functioning, creating a limbo for the activists if they are detained.
Ironically, Israel’s Foreign Ministry has continued operating during the holiday, issuing statements on the flotilla.
Israel says flotilla activists will be deported after Yom Kippur
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, has said that activists on board the Gaza aid flotilla will be deported once the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur concludes on Thursday.
“We will not allow any PR stunt approaching an active war zone to violate our sovereignty. Those who tried to enter Israeli territory illegally will be deported immediately after Yom Kippur in Israel,” Danon said in a statement.
He added that Israel has “repeatedly offered ways to peacefully deliver aid to Gaza”, but claimed the flotilla was “not interested in aid – only provocation”.
Israel continues to block most aid from entering Gaza, where the UN has warned of man-made famine and widespread hunger caused by the siege of the enclave. More than 350 people have died due to starvation in Gaza.
Gaza is not Israeli territory...
