Israeli Forces Detain Over 200 People In Aid Flotilla From 37 Countries

(AJ): Global Sumud Flotilla spokesperson Saif Abukeshek has provided a “mission update” in a post on Instagram, confirming that Israeli forces have intercepted 13 boats at sea.

Abukeshek said there were more than 201 people from 37 countries on those boats, including 30 participants from Spain, 22 from Italy, 21 from Turkiye and 12 from Malaysia.

He said the group’s “mission is going on” despite the arrests, and vessels are continuing to sail “through the Mediterranean to break the siege on Gaza”.

“We have around 30 ships that are still fighting their way away from the military vessels of the occupation forces trying to reach to the shores of Gaza. They are determined. They are motivated, and they are doing everything within their hand to be able to break this [siege] by early morning and to arrive together,” he said.

Malaysian PM denounces Israel’s ‘intimidation, coercion’ of Gaza flotilla:

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he condemns in the “strongest terms” Israel’s “intimidation and coercion” of vessels carrying “unarmed civilians and life-saving humanitarian supplies for Gaza”.

“By blocking a humanitarian mission, Israel has shown utter contempt not only for the rights of the Palestinian people but also for the conscience of the world. The flotilla embodied solidarity, compassion and the hope of relief for those under blockade,” the Malaysian leader said on X.

Anwar added that Malaysia would use all “legitimate and lawful means” to ensure Israel is held to account, “especially in matters concerning Malaysian citizens”.

Turkiye slams Israeli raid on Gaza flotilla, demands ‘immediate release’ of citizens:

Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry has blasted Israel’s interception of the Gaza flotilla, saying the military action against civilian vessels in international waters endangers the lives of innocent civilians, the country’s official Anadolu news agency reports.

“This attack, which targeted civilians acting peacefully without resorting to violence, is proof that the fascist and militarist policies implemented by the genocidal Netanyahu government, which has condemned Gaza to famine, are not limited to Palestinians,” the ministry said in a statement quoted by Anadolu.

The interception of the flotilla and arrest of activists show that Israeli forces target “everyone who struggles against the oppression imposed by Israel”, the ministry said.

All steps would now be taken to secure the release of Turkish citizens detained by the Israeli forces, the ministry said, adding that Turkiye’s government would launch legal action against the perpetrators of the attack on the flotilla.

Venezuela condemns Israel’s ‘cowardly act of piracy’ against flotilla:

A statement posted on Telegram by Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said the Israeli military attacked a “civilian and peaceful mission whose sole purpose was to deliver 5,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people subjected to hunger and extermination”.

The statement said that the Israeli military boarding boats of the flotilla in international waters “exposes, once again, the criminal nature of the Zionist regime”.

“The blockade of humanitarian aid is a tool of deliberate war, the continuation of genocide by other means, seeing to annihilate the population by starvation to complement their indiscriminate bombings,” it said.

Colombia’s President Petro condemns attack on flotilla, expels Israeli diplomats:

President Gustavo Petro has expelled the entire Israeli diplomatic delegation from the South American country in response to Israel’s interception of Gaza flotilla activists, including two Colombian nationals.

In a post on X, Petro also said a free trade agreement between Colombia and Israel had been “denounced immediately” in response to the “new international crime by Benjamin Netanyahu”.

“Here Netanyahu demonstrates his worldwide hypocrisy and why he is a worldwide criminal who must be captured,” Petro said in another post.

Petro also said the country’s Foreign Ministry intended to file lawsuits against Israel and called for support from international lawyers.