An international flotilla delivering aid to Gaza reported Wednesday that Israeli vessels approached and encircled two of its boats with "dangerous and intimidatory maneuvers," causing navigation and communication blackouts as the group neared the war-torn territory.
The mission's organizers said two Israeli "warships" had approached fast and encircled two of the flotilla's boats, Alma and Sirius. All navigation and communication devices went down in what one organizer on board, Thiago Avila, described in a press conference as a "cyberattack". The flotilla appeared to have recovered some communications. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Global Sumud Flotilla consists of more than 40 civilian boats, carrying about 500 people, among them parliamentarians, lawyers and activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg.
'Dangerous maneuvers'
The mission is the latest sea-borne attempt to break Israel's blockade of the Palestinian enclave to deliver food and medicine. It is currently within 120 nautical miles (222.24 kilometers) of Gaza's coast, inside an area that Israel is policing to stop any boats approaching. It is expected to arrive Thursday morning if not intercepted.
