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The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, praised his naval forces on Thursday for intercepting a help flotilla addressed to Gaza and the country’s authorities announced that they will deport hundreds of the proportive activists who were on board.
The Sumud Global Flotilla, which means “resilience” in Arabic, departed from Barcelona at the end of August with about 45 ships and hundreds of activists from more than 45 countries, several of them Latin Americans.
The Israeli Navy on Wednesday began to intercept the ships after warning them that they would not enter waters that, according to Israel, are under their naval block to Gaza.
“I congratulate the soldiers and commanders of the Navy who carried out their mission in Yom Kippur in the most professional and efficient way,” Netanyahu said in a statement.
“His important action prevented dozens of boats from entering the war zone and repelled a campaign to delegitimize Israel,” he added.
An Israeli representative reported that more than 400 activists aboard the ships had been arrested and transferred to the port of Ashdod, in southern Israel.
“During an operation that lasted about 12 hours, the Israeli Navy personnel frustrated an attempt to incurs on a large scale by hundreds of people aboard 41 ships, who had declared their intention to violate the legal maritime blockade in the Gaza Strip,” he said.
The objective of the flotilla, according to its organizers, was “to open a humanitarian corridor and put an end to the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people” in Gaza where, according to the UN, the population suffers a famine.
The narrow territory is also devastated by the relentless offensive of Israel, launched in retaliation by the attack of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas of October 7, 2023.
«All passengers enjoy good health. No violence was exercised, ”said Greek Chancellor, Giorgos Gerapetritis, according to the state chain ERT.
The Greek organizers of the Flotilla announced that 11 of their fellow citizens are on hunger strike in protest for their “illegal arrest for Israeli authorities.”
Israel announced that activists, among which are the Swedish Greta Thunberg or the former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, will be deported to Europe, but did not specify to which countries.
– Claims in Spain and Latin America –
The organizers of Global Sumud denounced interceptions as “an illegal attack” occurred in international waters.
The news of the interception generated international concern, especially in the countries of origin of the activists.
Türkiye described the operation of “act of terrorism” and announced the opening on Thursday of an investigation for the arrest of 24 Turks among the passengers of the flotilla.
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, expelled on Wednesday to the diplomatic delegation of Israel in Bogotá after denouncing the arrest of two citizen and demanding his release.
In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum requested the “immediate” repatriation of the six Mexicans who were in the flotilla and stressed that they did not commit “any crime.”
Brazil also condemned the Israeli interception of the flotilla, in which 15 of its citizens were traveling, including deputy Luizianne Lins.
“It becomes the responsibility of Israel the safety of detained people,” said President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Spain, with some 65 participants, convened in turn to Israel’s business in Madrid and the Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into the interception, examining possible human rights violations that could constitute crimes against humanity.
Meanwhile, the Islamist movement Hamas condemned the act as a “crime of piracy” and described it as “maritime terrorism.”
After its departure from Spain, the flotilla made a 10 -day scale on the coast of Tunisia, where the organizers reported two drones attacks.
They also denounced that two of their ships were subjected to “harassment maneuvers” by Israel.
After the attacks of drones, Italy and Spain deployed military ships to escort the flotilla, in which Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela, also participated.
But on Wednesday, the Spanish government asked them not to enter the exclusion zone declared by Israel, which extends to 150 nautical miles from Gaza, and warned that their frigate would not, nor did the Italian ship.
Israel blocked similar campaigns with floats in June and July.
Burs-FKA-JD/SER/MAS/PB case/MB/JVB
