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Israel has said that the country will not allow the Global Sumud Flotilla, the convoy of small vessels carrying aid to Gaza and activists from 44 countries, to reach its destination. Accusing the flotilla of intending to serve Hamas, the Israeli Foreign Ministry instead urged the vessels to unload their aid at the Ashkelon Marina.
“This flotilla, organized by Hamas, is intended to serve Hamas. Israel will not allow vessels to enter an active combat zone and will not allow the breach of a lawful naval blockade,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.
“If the flotilla participants’ genuine wish is to deliver humanitarian aid rather than serve Hamas, Israel calls on the vessels to dock at the Ashkelon Marina and unload the aid there, from where it will be transferred promptly in a coordinated manner to the Gaza Strip,” it said further.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which comprises more than 50 ships carrying activists and humanitarian supplies, including food, medicine and baby formula for the besieged people of Gaza, set sail from Barcelona on 31 August.
On Monday, the Global Sumud Flotilla said that its ships are 715 nautical miles from Gaza as they converge in international waters ahead of an attempt to break Israel’s blockade on the enclave.
In a statement, the coalition said its Greek fleet is expected to join “in the coming days” as part of the humanitarian mission.
“The ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla are now coming together with the Greek fleet joining soon, as we head into the final weeks of our humanitarian mission to reach Gaza and break Israel’s illegal blockade,” it said.
According to a video released by the Global Sumud Flotilla, the vessel Sirius was “five days from the high-risk zone” and “seven days from Gaza.”
In another social media post, the Global Sumud Flotilla alleged that the previous night, several drones followed their fleet across the Mediterranean.
“No major incidents were reported, but we expect this kind of surveillance to become the norm for the rest of the mission. This surveillance is not neutral. It coincides with ongoing attempts to criminalize and delegitimize a civilian mission whose only purpose is to challenge the siege and stand with Palestinians,” it said.
Earlier this month, at least two of the flotilla’s aid boats were hit by drone attacks while being docked in Tunisia.
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