The humanitarian mission of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was attempting to reach Gaza, ended with the detention of hundreds of activists. Yesterday evening , the Israeli navy blocked all boats heading towards the Strip.

"Another propaganda flotilla has come to an end: all 430 activists have been transferred to Israeli ships and are en route to Israel, where they will meet with their consular representatives," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement released overnight.

Among the arrested activists, 29 are Italian, two of them Sardinian. They are Ilaria Mancosu and Gianfranco Frongia . The former was aboard the vessel Amazon. Frongia, on the other hand, was part of the Last Dream crew.

Tensions were high yesterday during the boardings . Israel blocked all the flotilla's boats, including the ten that had initially escaped the attack yesterday and continued sailing toward Gaza. When they reached within a hundred nautical miles of the Strip, the Israeli navy attacked them, this time using live ammunition, firing at six vessels, including an Italian one.

The Global Sumud Flotilla itself denounced this and, while specifying that it did not know whether they were rubber bullets, asked the Italian state to protect the activists, including the 29 compatriots destined to be disembarked in the port of Ashdod .

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani intervened immediately, calling for "an urgent investigation into the use of force by the Israeli authorities." He also asked the Italian Ambassador to Israel, Luca Ferrari, to take a formal step to demand that everyone be guaranteed dignified treatment, full protection, and a guarantee of safety.

The flotilla—54 vessels—had set out on Thursday from the Turkish district of Marmaris. The day before, a first batch of vessels had been intercepted off the coast of Cyprus, followed by the final attacks.

Now all the activists will be taken to Ashdod . The possibility that the activists could be freed as quickly as when all but two of the participants were released in Crete in April has faded .

Now, however, detainees have two options: immediate expulsion for those who agree, or within 24 hours for further interrogations or investigations. The activists will once again be assisted by the legal team of the NGO Adalah.

For the Global Sumud Flotilla, the presence of Italian citizens and vessels places on the Italian state "a specific positive obligation to protect." Specifically, it calls for immediate intervention to protect the crews, condemning the opening of fire, and initiating criminal proceedings.

(Unioneonline/An.De)

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