Jerusalem, (EFE). – The Israeli Foreign Ministry reported it had stopped “several vessels” of the Global Sumud Flotilla and transferred the passengers to port.
“Already several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port. Greta and her friends are safe and healthy,” said the ministry in a message on X showing activist Greta Thunberg.
The video attached to the message shows an Israeli soldier with his face covered on the deck of a ship giving a bottle to Thunberg, wearing a kaffiyeh or Palestinian scarf.
The Global Sumud Flotilla denounced that the Israeli Navy intercepted at least three of its vessels in the Mediterranean on Wednesday night, as they were sailing towards Gaza, with the aim of breaking the blockade to bring humanitarian aid.
“Our vessels are being illegally intercepted. Cameras are offline, and vessels have been boarded by military personnel. We are actively working to confirm the safety and status of all participants on board,” said the Flotillas X account.
The crew members of the flotilla shared videos and pre-recorded messages announcing their detention: “If you are watching this video, it is because Israel has illegally detained us,” stated the alert from Barcelona’s former mayor Ada Colau.
The news website Descifrando la Guerra also denounced the arrest of its contributor Néstor Prieto.
“Nestor’s detention is an attack against press freedom and against Descifrando la Guerra as a media accredited in the expedition,” said the news outlet in a statement.
Three Portuguese nationals were also detained by Israel: the leader of the Bloco de Esquerda party, Mariana Mortágua,actress Sofia Aparicio, and activist Miguel Duarte.
The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, said the physical integrity and rights of Spanish activists traveling on the Global Sumud Flotilla must be respected.
France also urged Israel to guarantee the safety of the members of the flotilla’s vessels, as well as their consular security and their return “as soon as possible.”
Reporters Without Borders Spain demanded that the Israeli government respect the work of journalists traveling on the flotilla and urged it to guarantee the safety of all its passengers and crew.
The flotilla, composed of more than 40 ships and more than 500 volunteers who set sail from the coasts of Mediterranean countries such as Spain, Tunisia, and Italy, was intercepted by Israeli ships when it was about 80 nautical miles from Gaza.
Among the intercepted vessels were the Alma, Sirius, and Adara, the mission’s organization reported in a statement, minutes after alerting to the presence of 20 “unidentified” vessels on its radar.
The first boat intercepted was the Alma, one of the main ships, where Thunberg was traveling, as explained to EFE by Néstor Prieto.
Before the interception, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a message warning the flotilla to change course.
“The Israeli Navy has reached out to the Hamas-Sumud flotilla and asked them to change course. Israel has informed the flotilla that it is approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval blockade. Israel reiterated the offer to transfer any aid peacefully through safe channels to Gaza,” the ministry wrote.
According to Israeli law, once passengers are detained, they can be deported 72 hours after the issuance of the order, unless the person voluntarily agrees to be expelled, as happened to four of the 12 activists aboard the Madleen, the last boat intercepted by Israel last June. EFE
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