Israel stops Gaza aid ships with Australians on board
Israel’s navy has launched an operation against an international aid flotilla bound for Gaza in international waters, according to organisers. One group claims 12 Australians were part of the flotilla.
Israel has intercepted aid ships bound for Gaza in international waters near Greece, flotilla organisers say, decrying the move as an âescalation of Israelâs impunityâ.
A second flotilla carrying âhumanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza sailed from the Spanish port of Barcelona âon April 12, aiming to try to break the Israeli blockade.
The vessels were seized by Israel hundreds of miles from Gaza, said the organisers, Global Sumud Flotilla. It followed the detention of those aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla in October last year, including Australians.
âThis is piracy,â the group said in a statement.
âThis is the unlawful âseizure of human âbeings â on the open sea near Crete, an assertion that âIsrael can operate with total impunity, far beyond its own borders, with no consequences.â
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No state had the right to claim, police, or occupy international waters, but Israel had done that, extending its control outward to occupy the Mediterranean Sea â off the coast of Europe, it added.
National racial justice organisation Democracy in Colour has now released a statement saying the group âstrongly condemns Israelâs abduction of 12 Australian humanitarian workers, including our board member and Wiradjuri/Ngiyampaa/Wailwan activist Ethan Floydâ.
âEthan was onboard the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) when it was illegally intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters,â the statement said.
âDemocracy in Colour is calling on the Australian government to intervene and fulfil its responsibility towards all Australians abducted by Israel, by demanding their safe and immediate release.
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âThe GSF was on a humanitarian mission to deliver life saving aid to two million besieged Palestinians in Gaza.â
Israelâs âUN âenvoy Danny Danon said the flotilla âwas stopped before reaching our areaâ.
In a posting âon X, âhe added, âOur brave IDF soldiers are acting with professionalism and determination dealing âwith a group of delusional attention-seeking agitators,â referring to the Israeli military.
Israelâs military halted a previous flotilla assembled by the same organisation last October âin âan attempt to reach blockaded âGaza, arresting Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and more âthan 450 participants.
Israel, which controls all access to the Gaza Strip, denies withholding supplies for its residents, numbering more than two million.
Yet Palestinians and international aid bodies say supplies reaching the territory are still insufficient, despite a ceasefire âreached in October that included guarantees of increased aid.
â with DPA
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