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Israel seizes Gaza-bound aid boat, detains activists
Iran calls attack on ship act of piracy
The activists had set out to protest Israel’s ongoing military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which is among the deadliest and most destructive since World War II, and its restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, both of which have put the territory of around 2 million Palestinians at risk of famine.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which had organized the voyage, said that the activists were “kidnapped by Israeli forces” while trying to deliver desperately needed aid to the territory.
“The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted, and its life-saving cargo — including baby formula, food and medical supplies — confiscated,” it said in a statement. It said the ship was seized in international waters about 200 kilometers (120 miles) from Gaza.
Thunberg, a climate campaigner, was among 12 activists aboard the Madleen, which set sail from Sicily a week ago.
Game of Thrones” actor Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was also among the volunteers on board. Rima Hassan has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.
She was among six French citizens aboard the boat. French President Emmanuel Macron asked Israel to allow them to return to France as soon as possible, his office said in a statement.
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry slammed the seizure of the vessel, which was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza and included Turkish nationals on board.
“The intervention of the Israeli forces against the ship Madleen, which set sail to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, including our citizens on board, while it was in international waters, is a clear violation of international law,” it said.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry also reacted to the incident.The ministry’s spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the attack is tantamount to “one of the very significant and horrifying” developments that the international community is witnessing.
“The attack on this ship is undoubtedly considered to be an act of piracy under the international law, but since it is aimed at preventing aid to people who are facing genocide, it also constitutes a crime,” he added.