DUBAI: International leaders have strongly criticized Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of around 45 vessels carrying humanitarian aid and activists attempting to reach Gaza, where the United Nations has warned of famine conditions. Israeli naval forces began intercepting the ships on Wednesday, citing the waters as part of its blockade. By Thursday, at least 39 vessels had been intercepted or were assumed to have been intercepted, according to the flotilla’s tracking system.

The Global Sumud Flotilla says its fleet of over 50 ships has entered the ‘high-risk zone.’

The Global Sumud Flotilla entered the zone where it is at risk of being intercepted by Israeli forces overnight but at the time of writing the boats seeking to take aid to Gaza…