The Israeli Navy intercepted over 50 boats and detained 430 agitators trying to intrude into the country’s waters, putting an end to the Turkish-backed “Gaza flotilla.”
“Israeli commandos have intercepted all of the more than 50 boats in the flotilla,” The Times of Israel reported Tuesday. “A live feed on the Global Sumud Flotilla’s website shows IDF soldiers boarding the vessels as activists in life vests put their hands up. Soldiers then destroy cameras mounted on the vessels.”
Besides the Navy, commandos of Israel’s elite Shayetet 13 unit took part in the operation, Israeli media reports said. This flotilla has been organized by the IHH, the Turkish group behind the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident. Israeli soldiers trying to board the vessel were attacked by armed activists, leaving nine of them dead. Eleven Israeli soldiers were also wounded in that attack.
“The IDF had begun stopping the flotilla around 167 miles (268 kilometers) from the Gaza coastline, according to the flotilla’s website. The vessels departed last week from Turkey,” the news website added.
The cheerful activists were seen receiving water and refreshments from Israeli soldiers and medics.
This is the second flotilla of its kind in less than a month. The ships are trying to break a so-called Israeli “naval blockade,” which has been put in place to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist groups. In late April, Israel intercepted a similar flotilla, seizing 20 boats and detaining 175 activists. These self-declared “humanitarian” flotillas hardly carry any aid for Gazans. Last time, Israeli soldiers recovered drugs on board.
The Gaza-based terrorist group condemned Israel for intercepting the flotilla. “Hamas official Basem Naim accused Israel of ‘state terrorism and systematic undermining of the entire international order’,” BBC reported.
The flotilla organizers have links to Hamas and other terrorist groups. In September, Israel released Hamas documents recovered from Gaza showing not only ideological support, but also financial ties between the terrorist group and the Flotilla campaign.
The U.S. on Tuesday sanctioned several Gaza flotilla campaigners tied to Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other terrorist groups.
“The Trump administration on Tuesday accused Hamas of using activist and Muslim Brotherhood-linked networks to support a Gaza-bound flotilla and sanctioned several organizers tied to the effort,” Fox News reported. “The sanctions package, announced by the Treasury and State departments, also targeted activists associated with Samidoun, an anti-Israel activist network that U.S. officials describe as a front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), along with operatives tied to Muslim Brotherhood networks aligned with Hamas.”
Canada and several European countries were outraged at the fact that Israel’s National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, had dared to ‘mock’ and ‘taunt’ the activists, who were caught intruding into his country.
“Canada has joined Italy, France and the Netherlands in summoning Israeli ambassadors after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shared a video taunting detained Gaza flotilla activists,” Canadian public broadcaster CBC reported.
“The summer camp is over,” Minister Ben-Gvir told the agitators. “Anyone who acts against the State of Israel will find a determined state.”
“One of the activists shouted “Free Palestine” toward him and was pinned to the floor by Israel Prison Service officers,” Israel’s Ynetnews reported. “Alongside images of the activists, Ben-Gvir’s office said the footage was from the minister’s tour with prison officers, police and IDF forces at Ashdod Port during the capture of the flotilla activists.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials distanced themselves from the National Security Minister.
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