Gaza Freedom Flotilla boat intercepted by Israel in international waters
Israeli troops boarded a boat which the pro-Palestinian activist group Freedom Flotilla had been sailing towards Gaza on Saturday, Israel said, a scene that was livestreamed by the group.
"The Israeli navy has stopped the vessel Navarn from illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza," the Israeli foreign ministry posted on X.
"The vessel is safely making its way to the shores of Israel. All passengers are safe," it added.
The activists' own broadcast showed them sitting on deck, holding their hands up and whistling the Italian anti-fascist song Bella Ciao, as the soldiers took control of the vessel.
Three video live feeds of the scene, which had been broadcast online, were cut minutes later.
The ship had been on course to try to break a brutal Israeli blockade of Gaza amid growing warnings of mass starvation and unimaginable suffering in the Palestinian territory.
In a message on social media, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition declared: "'Handala' has been intercepted and boarded illegally by Israeli forces whilst in international waters," using their given name for the boat.
An online tracking tool set up to plot the Handala's course showed the boat's position as roughly 30 miles from the Egyptian coast and 60 miles west of Gaza when intercepted.
Calls mount for Handala crew members' release
The Handala was carrying 19 activists, including European politicians, and two Al Jazeera journalists, who were able to broadcast from the vessel until shortly before its interception.
Two French lawmakers were among those detained, Emma Fourreau and Gabrielle Cathala. Their party leader, Jean-Luc Melenchon of France Unbowed (LFI), condemned Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Netanyahu's thugs boarded Handala. They attack 21 unarmed people in territorial waters where they have no right. A kidnapping in which two French parliamentarians are victims," he posted on X.
Melenchon demanded the French government take action.
Seven American citizens also took part in the mission, as calls grow for the US government to demand their safe return and to end its support for the Israeli regime.
"The world must refuse Israel’s deliberate mass starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, and finally take steps to end Israel's impunity for genocide, the crime of crimes," the Center for Constitutional Rights said in a statement after the boat's interception.
Gaza is facing severe shortages of food and other essentials due to Israel's blockade, with the United Nations and NGOs warning of an imminent famine.
The Handala's crew said in a post on X that they would go on a hunger strike if the Israeli army intercepted the boat and detained its passengers.
The last boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was intercepted by the Israeli army in international waters on June 9 and towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod. It carried 12 campaigners on board, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who were eventually expelled by Israel.
Cover photo: Giovanni ISOLINO / AFP