'Several' Gaza flotilla vessels 'safely stopped': Israel MoFA

Israel's foreign ministry on Wednesday said Israel had halted vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza, which aimed to break Israel's blockade of the Palestinian territory.

"Already several vessels of the... flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port. Greta and her friends are safe and healthy," the ministry said on social media, referring to Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who is aboard the flotilla.

Flotilla organizers said on social media that Israeli naval forces had “illegally intercepted and boarded” boats in international waters, calling it “an illegal attack on unarmed humanitarians.” They also posted video showing some boats being targeted by water cannons.

The boats are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, run by activists protesting Israel’s war in Gaza by trying to deliver food and other goods to the enclave, in defiance of a longstanding Israeli blockade.

Parts of Gaza have been suffering from famine in recent months, according to a United Nations-backed panel of food experts, whose findings Israel has rejected.

A video posted by flotilla organizers shows Thiago Ávila, a Brazilian activist on the group’s steering committee, on one of the boats, responding to an audible demand to turn back by saying that the group was on a humanitarian mission and carried only food, medical supplies and items like water filters.

The office of Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, dismissed the flotilla’s efforts as a public relations “stunt” in a statement on Wednesday night.

“Those who tried to enter Israeli territory illegally will be deported immediately after Yom Kippur in Israel,” it read. That holiday began on Wednesday evening and will end on Thursday at sundown.

The encounter with Israeli forces had been anticipated by the activists on the flotilla, including Ms. Thunberg, who have been livestreaming their trip across the Mediterranean Sea on social media.

Videos have showed activists training for nonviolent responses to potential encounters with Israeli commandos.

The flotilla has drawn wide public attention since it set sail, in part because of the participation of high-profile figures like Ms. Thunberg and lawmakers from Italy, where antiwar protests have snarled traffic and disrupted other activities in recent weeks.