Israeli forces arrested hundreds of activists participating in the “Global Freedom Flotilla” after intercepting dozens of ships in international waters as they sailed from the Turkish coast to the Gaza Strip in an attempt to break the blockade.
Abdul Rahman al-Kahlout, a member of the flotilla’s organizing team, told Al Jazeera Mubasher that Israeli forces arrested 345 activists from 39 ships participating in the flotilla.
Al-Kahlout added that nine other ships were still en route to the Gaza Strip, noting that they were about 40 hours away from the coast at the time of his statement.
Israeli media reported on Monday that elite units of the Israeli Navy had begun the operation to seize the “Global Freedom Flotilla,” indicating that the interceptions took place off the coast of Cyprus, hundreds of kilometers away, and resulted in the arrest of dozens of participants. Activists appealed to their governments to “free them from their captivity.”
Israel’s Channel 12 quoted an Israeli official as saying that the pace of taking control of the flotilla was rapid, and that the detainees were being transferred to landing craft, adding that the approach to dealing with the flotilla this time was “offensive, and there will be no assistance provided.”
