The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza announced Wednesday morning that the Freedom Flotilla bound for the Gaza Strip was attacked by Israel.
The Freedom Flotilla, consisting of 10 ships, set sail from the Italian island of Sicily on September 25, carrying dozens of activists, including parliamentarians, doctors, and journalists from around the world. The campaign’s organizers insisted on continuing their attempt to reach the Gaza Strip despite objections.
The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza said in a tweet on the XN platform, “The Israeli military attacked the Freedom Flotilla in international waters, 120 nautical miles (220 kilometers) from Gaza.”
In a subsequent tweet, the committee confirmed that three ships—the Gaza Sunbirds, the Alaa al-Najjar, and the Anas al-Sharif—were “unlawfully attacked and intercepted by the Israeli military at 4:34 a.m., 220 kilometers off the coast of Gaza.”
The committee shared live footage of Israeli soldiers boarding several ships, arresting their crew members, and attempting to remove surveillance cameras by striking them with weapons.
The Dameer ship, carrying 93 journalists, doctors, and activists, was also attacked by an Israeli military helicopter, according to the committee.
The paramedics and media representatives on board were seeking to reach their colleagues on the Freedom Flotilla, which was attempting to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. The flotilla was attacked by the Israeli navy last Wednesday.
The Dameer ship was bombed by Israel off the coast of Malta last May.
