New York protests exploded over the intercept of the Gaza fleet
New York protesters demand the release of Gaza-bound aid ship and the release of detained activists, including Greta Samberg.
- Israeli forces intercepted in Gaza a fleet of about 40 boats carrying aid and more than 400 activists, including Greta Samberg.
- Activists, including Samberg, are expected to be detained and expelled from Israel.
- The interception sparked international condemnation, with Turkish and South African leaders criticising the action.
- Organizers said the fleet was a non-violent humanitarian mission, and Israel described it as a violation of provocation and blockade.
Israel faced international condemnation and protest on Thursday, October 2nd, after its forces welcomed more than 400 foreign activists in Gaza, including Swedish campaigner Greta Samberg.
The camera, broadcasting live feeds from the boat, verified by Reuters, showed Israeli soldiers armed with helmets and night vision goggles on board the ship, and passengers raised their hands and dressed in the vest of life.
A video from Israeli Foreign Ministry showed Samberg, the most prominent of the passengers, sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers.
Flotilla members could be expelled next week
The 22-year-old Samberg, best known for her environmental protests, had pre-recorded a video released on her behalf after the ship boarded.
“If you’re watching this video, I was accused and taken away by the Israeli military against my will. Our humanitarian mission was non-violent and I was following international law,” she said.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he hopes members of the fleet will be expelled from Israel on Monday and Tuesday and sent to the European capital on charter flights.
“All passengers are safe and healthy,” said Israel’s Foreign Ministry in X after they began being taken to land in Ashdod.
“One of the last vessels of this provocation remains far away. When it approaches, it enters an active combat zone and prevents attempts to violate the blockade.”
The voyage organizer, Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), said an estimated 443 volunteers were detained, some of which were transported to one large cargo ship before landing.
Turkey blames “thuggery” directed at flotilla
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan criticized the Israeli attack on Thursday, saying that he had shown that Israel’s government had no intention of growing hopes for peace.
“I denounce the strong men directed at the global smooth fleet who have set out to look to provide humanitarian assistance to oppressed Palestinians in Gaza, calling attention to the wildness of children dying of starvation in Gaza,” he said in a speech by his AK party official in the capital Ankara.
The Istanbul prosecutor’s office said it has launched an investigation into the detention of 24 Turkish citizens, reported by the Turkish state-owned Anadolu news agency.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa urged Israel to quickly release South Africans in their fleet, including nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, grandson of former president Nelson Mandela.
Suhad Vishara, director of Adala, an Israeli human rights group and legal centre, is expected to be transferred to the immigration department upon arrival in Ashdod.
“Of course, the main concerns of this stage, their well-being, their health, and they also make sure they all get legal advice before the hearing,” Vishara told Reuters on Thursday.
Famous opposition to Gaza blockade The fleet, which sailed in late August, transports medicines and food to Gaza, consisting of more than 40 civilian ships, including counsels, lawyers and activists.
It was not clear how much aid it carried, but it represented the highest symbol of the opposition to Israel’s Gaza blockade.
Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt.
The advances in the fleet across the Mediterranean seas have attracted international attention in case countries, including Turkey, Spain and Italy, needed assistance to raise repeated warnings from Israel, in case their citizens needed assistance.
The interception of Israeli fleets sparked protests in Italy and Colombia, but the protests were also called in Greece, Ireland and Türkiye. The Italian union called for a general strike on Friday.
Hamas has expressed support for activists
Israeli navy previously approached the fleet’s active combat zone, warned them that it was violating legal blockades and asked organizers to change courses. They had offered to peacefully transfer aid to Gaza through secure channels.
The fleet is the latest seaborne attempt to break Israel’s Gaza blockade, many of which have been turned into wastelands after almost two years of war.
In a statement, Hamas expressed support for activists, calling the intercept of Israel’s fleet “criminal acts” and calling for public protests to condemn Israel.
The boat was about 70 nautical miles from Gaza when it was intercepted within a zone where Israel was policed to stop approaching. Organizers said communications, including the use of live camera feeds from several boats, had been scrambled.
Israel launched an attack on Gaza after Israel’s Hamas-led attack on Israel. In Israel, around 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostages to Gaza. Palestinian health officials say the attack killed more than 66,000 people in Gaza.
