Israel seizes last boat of Samood Flotilla, protests erupt worldwide

Gaza (Web Desk): The Israeli navy has taken control of the last ship of the Samood Flotilla, Marinette, which was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. The ship, flying the Polish flag and carrying six people, was intercepted approximately 42.5 nautical miles (about 79 kilometers) from Gaza, according to international broadcaster Al Jazeera.

According to Reuters, the flotilla organizers, Global Samood Flotilla, stated that the Israeli navy stopped the ship on Friday morning and took full control. The ship is now being transferred to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

In a statement, the flotilla said, “The Israeli navy has illegally stopped all 42 of our ships, although this convoy consisted only of humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the commitment to break Israel’s illegal blockade.”

Israeli military radio also confirmed that the people on board have been taken into custody. However, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has not yet issued an official statement on the current status of the ship.

Israeli officials say the flotilla was heading towards an active war zone and violating Israel’s legal blockade, and therefore, prior warning was given to stop the ship.

It is worth mentioning that the Samood Flotilla set sail from Spain on August 31, including ships from various European and other countries. The Israeli navy stopped these ships about 70 nautical miles from Palestinian maritime borders.

During the Israeli operation, about 450 volunteers were detained, including Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and former Pakistani Senator Mushtaq Ahmed.