A number of countries have expressed their concern over Israel’s interception of a flotilla trying to carry aid to Gaza.
By Nathan Morley
Israel said Thursday that none of the vessels in a Gaza-bound flotilla succeeded in breaching the naval blockade imposed on the Palestinian territory. According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, nearly all boats carrying pro-Palestinian activists and humanitarian aid were intercepted in the Mediterranean.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called on Israel to “immediately release” the activists, including Nkosi Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, and at least five other South Africans who were aboard the flotilla.
Spain summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires following the interception of the aid ships. Israel withdrew its ambassador from Madrid last year in protest of Spain’s decision to recognize Palestine as an independent state. The chargé d’affaires has since served as Israel’s top diplomatic representative in the country.
As of Thursday, 40 of the flotilla’s 44 vessels had been intercepted or were on the verge of interception, according to the flotilla’s tracking system. Organizers said they had lost contact with several boats. Of the four ships not yet intercepted, two appeared to be heading north toward Cyprus, while another remained off the coast of Egypt.
Meanwhile, the media office of the Hamas-run government in Gaza accused Israel of intensifying what it described as a “policy of famine” in the enclave.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the office said only 1,824 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza in September—just 10% of the 18,000 trucks it claims are needed to meet the basic needs of the territory’s 2.4 million residents. Many of the trucks were reportedly looted amid what the office called “famine and security chaos” allegedly orchestrated by Israel.
The statement also said Israel continues to restrict the entry of essential goods, banning more than 430 types of food and supplies, including eggs, meats, fish, dairy products, cheese, fruits, vegetables and nutritional supplements.
“We remind the world that Gaza requires more than 600 aid trucks per day to meet minimum humanitarian needs,” the office said.
