The boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla are continuing their navigation towards the Gaza Strip, transporting humanitarian aid intended for the Palestinian population, exhausted by months of war and by the naval block imposed by Israel.
According to the latest information, Flottiglia is currently about 120 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza, in a high -risk area: it is precisely in this sea band that in the past other humanitarian missions have been intercepted or attacked by the Israeli Navy.
Approach to Gaza: about 27 hours to the destination
The ships of the mission travel at an average speed of 5 knots, and – except for unexpected events – should reach their destination in about 27 hours.
The activists, however, do not expect a quiet journey: according to what reported by the GSF, in the last few hours more unidentified boats, without insignia and with the lights off, have approached the ships of the mission, probably in reconnaissance or to prepare a blocking action.
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Night of tension at sea: the alert of the Italian Navy
The night was full of tension. The alpine ship of the Italian Navy has issued a last notice to the boats of the Flotilla, clarifying that it would not have exceeded the limit of the 150 nautical miles from the coast and that it remains available for any recovery of members of the crews who wanted to be transferred on board.
While navigating closer to Gaza, we remain brigade by entering the area where the previous floats have been intercepted and/or attacked, has communicated the flotilla on its social channels at dawn.
Approaching an Israeli ship and damage to systems
The situation became even more delicate when an Israeli military ship approached the flotilla, making maneuvers considered “very dangerous” around the leader ships Alma And Sirius.
According to a statement released on Instagram by the organizers of the mission, the Israeli boat would also have damaged the flotilla communication systems in an intimidation action.
The Brazilian activist Thiago Avila confirmed that, despite the loss of different electronic devices, no one on board was injured.
A few hours earlier, around 4:30 in the morning (Italian time), Flotilla had denounced the presence of “unidentified boats” with the lights off near humanitarian ships. On that occasion, the participants activated the security protocols in view of a possible interception.
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“Sleepless night, they try to wear us”
Samuel Rostol, one of the activists on board, told Al Jazeera the tension of the last hours:
Almost all the crew passed the night awake. There have been noises, maneuvers, continuous disorders: it was obviously a tactic to try to wear it, said Rostol. But we are all taking them with a smile.
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According to Rostol, now the crew is trying to rest as much as possible before dawn, aware that the interception by the Israeli Navy could take place already in the next few hours.
A mission in the international spotlight
The Global Sumud Flotilla is a coalition of activists, NGOs and international civil organizations that has organized a new mission by sea to symbolically and logistically break the naval block imposed by Israel at the Gaza Strip. In previous years, several similar missions have been blocked or intercepted by force, often with dramatic results – as in the case of Freedom Flotilla of 2010, when an Israeli operation caused the death of 10 activists aboard the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara.
The current mission is carefully followed by governments, media and international public opinion. The approach of the flotilla to dispute could represent a moment of strong diplomatic and military tension in the next few hours.
(Item in Update)
