(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the country’s navy on Thursday for stopping an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, calling their work professional and efficient even on the holy day of Yom Kippur.
“I commend the soldiers and commanders of the navy who carried out their mission… in the most professional and efficient manner,” Netanyahu said in a statement, according to France 24. He added that the navy’s action blocked dozens of vessels from entering the war zone and pushed back efforts to delegitimize Israel.
The flotilla, known as the Global Sumud Flotilla, set off last month with 45 ships carrying activists, politicians, and Swedish climate icon Greta Thunberg. Their goal: deliver aid to Gaza, the UN-designated Palestinian territory caught in ongoing conflict.
Israel’s navy started intercepting the boats on Wednesday, issuing warnings to everyone on board—including Thunberg—not to enter the patrolled waters. “None of the Hamas-Sumud provocation yachts has succeeded in its attempt to enter an active combat zone or breach the lawful naval blockade,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated.
One final vessel from the group lingers at a distance. If it gets too close, Israel plans to stop it too and enforce the blockade, the ministry said.
Greece’s Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis reported that forces intercepted 39 of the 45 ships, redirecting them to the Israeli port of Ashdod. “All passengers are in good health. No violence has been exercised,” he noted.
But tensions simmer. Greek organizers of the flotilla said 11 Greek citizens aboard one ship are now on a hunger strike, protesting what they call illegal detention by Israeli authorities.
Israel hasn’t detailed where the activists will go next, but officials say they’ll deport them to Europe. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted on X (formerly Twitter) with photos of Thunberg and others: “Hamas-Sumud passengers on their yachts are making their way safely and peacefully to Israel, where their deportation procedures to Europe will begin.”
Earlier reports from the Times of Israel confirmed the navy boarded the flotilla en route to Gaza, detaining Thunberg and other high-profile activists. The Foreign Ministry released video of an Israeli soldier handing back Thunberg’s belongings after her arrest, assuring everyone she’s “safe and healthy,” with several boats already heading to Israeli ports.
Al Jazeera put the total at 47 ships in the convoy, with Israeli troops raiding just six and detaining over 150 people from 37 countries. The ministry shared footage online, writing: “Already several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port. Greta and her friends are safe and healthy.”
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