Israel Stops All Boats in Flotilla and Will Deport Participants
After repeated warnings not to attempt to approach the Gaza coastline, and calls for the boats to turn back, Israeli forces intercepted the boats in the global flotilla before they could reach Gaza. The organizers confirmed that 21 boats had been intercepted, while they had lost contact with 18 others, and called the actions illegal as they contended they were in international waters.
Israel has maintained a military blockade of Gaza for nearly 20 years, saying it was needed to prevent the smuggling of weapons to Hamas. Early on Thursday, October 2, the Israel Foreign Ministry posted a message saying, “The Hamas-Sumud provocation is over… None of the boats succeeded in its attempt to enter an active combat zone or breach the naval blockade … Greta and her friends are safe and healthy.”
The group claimed that at least 20 Israeli navy vessels were involved and began to approach the boats on Wednesday evening as they drew near the coast. They said the Israelis had ordered them to turn off their motors and prepare to be boarded. Israeli troops demanded the passports from the participants, and according to reports, the individuals were transferred to a vessel to be taken to Ashdod.
The organizers, in a prepared statement, claimed that Israel used “a chain-like barrier in international waters” to stop their boats. They also claimed that water cannons were used along with a systematic jamming of communications.
It was estimated that Israelis took into custody 443 individuals. The foreign ministry said they would be deported to Europe.
As of Thursday morning, two vessels had not been stopped. One called Mikeno, which departed from Greece with a Turkish captain, was turning its electronic signals on and off starting at 0300 in an attempt to evade interception. The group said it might have made it closer to the coast, but the Israelis warned that if it approached, it too would be stopped.
Israeli authorities asserted in recent days that the flotilla was linked to Hamas and provided captured documents from Gaza, which it said supported its assertion. The organizers denied any affiliation.
There had been multiple calls by European leaders for the group to cooperate with Israel. There was a proposed solution that the humanitarian supplies on the boats would be handed over at Ashdod, inspected, and transferred to Gaza. Israel reiterated the offer.
It marks the third time the flotilla has failed to breach the blockade and the second time activist Greta Thunberg was detained and ordered deported. Despite that, the group said its commitment remains to break the blockade.