The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) was attacked around 11 p.m. last night while its vessels were sailing south of Greece toward Crete. According to the organization, 22 of its 53 boats were violently taken over by Israeli commandos, while others were “sabotaged” and left adrift at sea.
“After smashing engines and destroying navigation arrays, the military retreated—intentionally leaving hundreds of civilians stranded on powerless, broken vessels directly in the path of a massive approaching storm,” the GSF announced, adding that Israeli forces continued jamming the vessels’ communications.
While Israel has intercepted humanitarian shipments to Gaza since 2008, yesterday’s raid was unprecedented for its proximity to European shores. The operation, in which over 170 people were detained, took place at the edge of Greek territorial waters, over 600 nautical miles (over 1,100 km) away from Israel. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese said this should “send shock waves across Europe.”
Earlier this evening, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the detainees will be “disembarked on a Greek beach” later tonight in coordination with the Greek government. The Greek government has not commented on its role in the operation.
While calls grow for the immediate release of the detained humanitarians, at least 200 protests have been announced worldwide, including 40 in Italy alone.
“Organizers are calling on the flag states—Poland, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, and France—to immediately uphold their legal obligations to ensure the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) for their vessels and citizens,” GSF said.
According to the flotilla tracker, the fleet continues unabated toward Gaza, with the bulk of its vessels now roughly 540 nautical miles away, just south of Crete.
The organization says global mobilization will continue until the siege of Gaza is broken and “the perpetrators of this state-sanctioned piracy are held responsible for their crimes against humanity both at sea and on the land of Palestine.”
