Israeli navy intercepts some flotilla boats but others are nearing the coast of Gaza, activists say

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli navy soldiers boarded vessels and detained dozens of activists aboard a flotilla attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, but 12 hours after the military began intercepting the vessels, several boats continued sailing and were nearing the besieged territory on Thursday, activists said.

Supporters of the flotilla took to the streets in several European cities — including Rome, Naples, Barcelona and Athens — to decry Israeli actions and the ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip. Italy’s largest union called for a one-day general strike on Friday, which is expected to block all the main sectors, including transportation and schools.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, with nearly 50 boats and 500 activists, was carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

It has been streaming its voyage online via live cameras aboard different boats, though several connections were lost as Israeli authorities began intercepting them in international waters on Wednesday evening.

The flotilla’s live tracker showed at least 20 boats were intercepted while others were sailing on and appeared to be only a few miles away from Gaza, and one boat appeared to have crossed into the strip’s territorial waters, according to the activists’ tracker.

Israeli soldiers detained and removed dozens of activists — including Greta Thunberg, former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, European parliament member Rima Hassan and others — from the flotilla.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted photos and videos of the activists, saying in a statement on X that they were “safe and in good health” and would be transferred to Israel for deportation procedures to Europe.

Earlier, live broadcasts overnight from the activists, showed Israeli boats approaching their vessels, spraying them with water canons and flashing bright lights before soldiers boarded the flotilla.

Anticipating the interceptions, activists wearing life jackets sat in circles and raised their hands in the air. Some managed to stream the moment live from their cell phones before tossing their devices into the sea.

The night-long operation that carried on as the sun rose appeared to be largely peaceful.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the Israeli navy’s action, describing it as an “act of terrorism” and a severe breach of international law in a statement late Wednesday. The ministry said it was working to ensure the immediate release of Turkish citizens and other activists detained by Israeli forces.

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Brito reported from Barcelona, Spain.