ROME/ATHENS: Military personnel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver medicine and food to Gaza and boarded its boats as it approached the war-ravaged enclave, the mission's organisers said. Some 20 unidentified vessels were seen approaching the flotilla earlier on Wednesday night, multiple people on board said, as passengers put on life vests and braced for a takeover.
"Our vessels are being illegally intercepted. Cameras are offline and vessels have been boarded by military personnel. We are actively working to confirm the safety and status of all participants on board," organisers of the flotilla said in a post on X.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which consists of more than 40 civilian boats carrying about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, is trying to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, despite repeated warnings from
Israel to turn back. It is within 90 nautical miles of the war-ravaged Strip, inside a zone that Israel is policing to stop any boats approaching.
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