"Our boats were approached by military speedboats, self-identified as Israeli, pointing lasers and semi-automatic assault weapons ordering participants to the front of the boats and to get on their hands and knees."
"This is piracy. This is the unlawful seizure of human beings on the open sea near Crete, an assertion that Israel can operate with total impunity, far beyond its own borders, with no consequences."
"The goods on these flotillas do not meet the needs of the Palestinians in Gaza, but they draw international attention to what is happening in Gaza."
"This spring flotilla mission included more than 50 boats, in what the organizers said was the largest coordinated civilian maritime action for the Palestinian territories to date."
Israel's Foreign Ministry reported the interception of over twenty aid ships carrying 175 activists en route to Gaza. The ships were stopped in international waters near Greece. The Global Sumud Flotilla stated that Israeli military boats seized 15 ships near Crete, using aggressive tactics. The flotilla aimed to deliver humanitarian aid, but Palestinians claim supplies are insufficient. Israel's UN envoy labeled the flotilla members as attention-seeking agitators, while organizers emphasized the mission's significance in drawing international attention to Gaza's situation.
Read at www.dw.com
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