Gaza Flotilla denounces Israeli shooting at boats during assault
Nearly a hundred activists have been detained and are being transferred to an Israeli port
BarcelonaThe organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla, the expedition carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza to denounce the Israeli blockade, have reported that several vessels were fired upon by the Israeli army while being intercepted. "Shots clearly fired at the ship Girolama", the organization explained in a brief statement, adding that Israeli soldiers fired on at least five of the vessels.
The shootings reportedly took place during interception and search operations carried out on Monday and Tuesday by Israeli forces in international waters. In a video accompanying the statement, a dozen crew members can be seen with their hands up during the Israeli assault. A voice tells them to position themselves at the bow of the ship and, as the activists obey the orders, several shots are heard, without being able to identify the origin or direction. One of the crew members shouts: "Don't shoot!"
On Tuesday, the Israeli armed forces are maintaining the operation to stop the Flotilla's ships still sailing towards Gaza, after managing to board about thirty out of a total of 54 vessels that were part of this stage of the humanitarian mission yesterday. The tracker set up by the Global Sumud Flotilla showed at midday that five of the ten remaining operational vessels had already been intercepted. As a result, nearly a hundred activists have been detained (with no charges known), including at least one Catalan member of the Fire Department.
According to information shared by the organization, the activists will be transferred to an Israeli port today. The ship carrying the activists – among whom are doctors, journalists, and human rights defenders from over forty nationalities – could dock from four-thirty in the afternoon (Israel time), but it is still unknown whether at the port of Ashdod (in the center) or the port of Ashkelon (south of the country).
The organization reports that the assault took place within Cyprus's rescue zone and, therefore, outside of Israel's jurisdiction. They criticize Tel Aviv for "continuing to demonstrate systematic disregard for international maritime law, freedom of navigation on the high seas, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)", and remind that "all participants are unarmed".
Worrying precedents
The assault occurs just three weeks after the Israeli army intercepted a large part of the boats that were initially traveling to the Flotilla near Crete, also in international waters. At that time, they captured 170 activists. Most were allowed to leave hours later for the coasts of Greece, after much diplomatic pressure. But two were held: the Catalan-Palestinian Saif Abukeshek and the Brazilian Thiago Ávila. Both, spokespeople for the humanitarian mission, spent nine days in an Israeli prison without formal charges being brought against them. Both Abukeshek and Ávila, who went on a hunger strike to protest their detention, reported mistreatment, including physical assaults and prolonged isolation.
Given this precedent, the organization expresses concern for "the physical safety and well-being of all illegally detained individuals," and urges "world leaders to demand the release of the Flotilla participants, the release of Palestinian political prisoners and hostages, and an end to the genocide and blockade in Gaza."
