What To Know About The International Flotilla Seeking To Break Israel’s Blockade of Gaza

Athens, Greece: The Israeli forces seized activists carrying an international fleet who wanted to break the blockade of Israel’s Palestinian territory and detained dozens of people.

The global Sumud fleet with a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, most of the ships, an Israeli operation that began the night before the communication with those who had been lost on Thursday morning after the loss of communication or seized, he said.

Since the sailing from Spain in early September, the participants had reported three different examples targeted by the drones during the journey of the fleet to Gaza. Spain and Italy sent their navy to accompany the fleets for a part of his journey, but called for activists to return and avoid confronting Israel.

Here’s what you need to know about the fleet.

Elephant goalkeeper organizers said that about 50 ships with approximately 500 activities from 47 countries have joined the fleet. Some ships had to go back during the journey due to technical problems, and 44 still sail during the late Israeli intervention on Wednesday.

The Israeli-Hamas War in Gaza in Gaza has led to a humanitarian disaster that saw that most of them have fallen into rubble. The world’s leading authority in the food crisis has declared famine in Gaza City, the largest city in the settlement.

Activists hope that their actions will focus on the situation of the Palestinians. In terms of the number of boats, the fleet is Israel’s attempt to break the Gaza maritime blockade, which is currently 18 years.

Israel says that the blockade is necessary to prevent Hamas from importing weapons, while critics are thinking of a collective punishment.

The journey of the boats core ships, on September 1, set sail from the city of Barcelona in Spain, set out to the east opposite the Mediterranean Sea and combined with other boats along the way. The fleet contains larger ships that provide support and provisions for smaller sailing boats.

Among the participants, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela and several European deputies. Activists include military veterans, doctors, clergy and lawyers, and comes from various countries in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America and from Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

The Israeli ships approached the boats while sailing in international waters during the night, and the Israeli forces sprayed some water canons and flashing bright lights before they boarded them and detained the activists. Some fleet boats managed to maintain live flows in social media accounts during the intervention.

Organizers said that 443 participants were detained. Thunberg included Rima Hassan, a member of the European Parliament.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry published photos and videos of activists by saying that they are “safe and healthy ve and transfer to Israel for deportation.

Many countries, including Italy, Greece, France and Spain, said that consular support was provided to their citizens.

Israel has repeatedly criticized the attempt to help, and accused some fleet leaders of connections against Hamas, a accusation of activists strongly rejected. He warned that boats would not be allowed to reach Gaza.

Fleet’s international response supporters, after the news of the intervention, including Rome, Istanbul, Athens and Buenos Aires to solve the Israeli actions and the ongoing Israeli attack in Gaza, went to the streets in several big cities.

On Thursday, more protests were expected, while Italy’s biggest union called for a day -long general strike on Friday.

Many countries, including Türkiye, Colombia, Pakistan, South Africa and Malaysia, have condemned Israel’s fleet intervention. While the Turkish Foreign Ministry described it as a “terrorist act ,, the Colombian President Gustavo Petro government announced that the government of Israel would expel the diplomatic delegation of Israel and end its country’s free trade agreement with Israel.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called Israel to “kidnap the South Africans in international waters and release other citizens trying to reach Gaza with humanitarian assistance”. The Conservation Committee of Journalists called for unconditional release of those detained and added that 32 journalists accompany the fleets.

Italy and France said that they have worked with Israeli diplomatic authorities to ensure that their citizens are transferred to the soil and that they were deported quickly and peacefully, Greece provided Consulate assistance to 27 Greece.

Drone attacks, organizers, said the fleet was targeted three times by the drone: twice in Tunisia on September 8th and 9th, and once last week sailing in the south of Greece last week.

In this last attack, the fleet said it was targeted by the “unidentified drones and communication jams” during the night. The activists said that at least 13 explosions ”were heard on and around several fleet boats. No loss was reported, but some boats were damaged.

Attempts to break the blockade were attacked by activists trying to break Israel’s Gaza blockade for the first time.

Another ship said it was attacked by drones in international waters other than Malta in May. A land convoy traveling in North Africa also tried to reach the border, but it was blocked by security forces compatible with Egypt in East Libya.

In 2010, the Israeli commandos raided Mavi Marmara, a boat that participated in a aid fleet trying to violate Gaza’s sea blockade. Nine Turkish citizens and a Turkish-American were killed on board. An activist boat was held in 2008 for the last time.

The current war of the war began on October 7, 2023, when the militants led by Hamas attacked Israel and killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people hostage. Israel, the attack to surrender to Hamas and about 20 Israel is still alive to return to the remaining 48 hostages, he said. Most of the rest were released in hot or other opportunities.

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the Israeli attack killed at least 66,000 Palestinians. He doesn’t say how many people are civil or warriors, but he says half is about women and children.

The Ministry is a part of the government operated by Hamas. The figures are seen as a reliable estimation of war -time deaths by UN agencies and many independent experts.