Flotilla organisers reported an Israeli warship aggressively circled one vessel and cut radar and internet communications
A flotilla heading for Gaza, carrying aid for the war-torn Palestinian territory, announced on Wednesday that it would proceed with its mission despite what it described as “intimidation tactics” by the Israeli military. The group expressed its readiness for possible intervention by the Israeli navy as it nears the enclave.
The flotilla of some 45 vessels carrying activists and politicians, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg and Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela, departed Spain last month with the aim of breaking the blockade on Gaza, where the UN has said there is a famine.
“In the early hours of this morning, Israeli occupation naval forces launched an intimidatory operation against the Global Sumud Flotilla,” the organisers said in a statement as the vessels approached waters off Egypt, where previous attempts have been intercepted.
If undisturbed, it was to reach the shores of Gaza by Thursday morning, the group said.
