• The Gaza Strip is subject to an Israeli-enforced naval blockade for security reasons
• Israel has come under pressure to lift the blockade
• Basic supplies and medicines are in short supply in the Gaza Strip
The Israeli navy confirmed with a statement Tuesday that the boat, believed to be carrying 16 activists, had been intercepted and that communication had been made, urging the boat to turn back.
“The Israel navy notified the Al Karama that it is on a route leading to an area under a maritime security blockade off the coast of Gaza,” a statement from the navy said, adding that they reminded the activists that “any supplies they may have on board may be transferred, legally, through the existing land crossings and the Ashdod port.”
The French-flagged Dignite-al Karama is the only boat of a ten-vessel aid flotilla that managed to leave Greece without being prevented by Greek authorities. For the organisers of the flotilla, the mission is more about making a statement about the blockade, rather than the delivery of supplies.
By attempting to run the blockade, they hope to raise awareness of the affects the mission is having on the people of the Gaza Strip, where basic goods and medical supplies are desperately scarce.
Protest organiser Julien Rivoire said the boat had been surrounded by at least three ships and communications had been jammed since 0706 GMT.
A short while afterwards, Israeli commandos boarded the vessel, taking control of the boat.
There were no reports of resistance from the crew or passengers.
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