Gaza City: The Israeli navy intercepted a ship carrying activists en route to Gaza in the latest attempt to break a blockade on the coastal territory ruled by the Islamic militant group Hamas, the military said.
It said the passengers were notified they were “violating the legal naval blockade” and that humanitarian aid could an be delivered to Gaza in other ways. It said the incident passed “without exceptional events” and that the ship has been taken to an Israeli port.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an umbrella group comprising pro-Palestinian and Islamic charities from around the world, said on Twitter that Israel had “hijacked” the vessel.
On board is Australian Chris Graham, publisher of the New Matilda, who was quoted by a group statement as saying “Israel’s blocking of the Gaza bound flotilla was obviously a predictable act, but that doesn’t make it any less hostile, nor any less illegal. It is a fundamental right of the Palestinian people not to be subjected to collective punishment by the State of Israel.”
Read the article in The Sydney Morning Herald (AP).