The Israeli navy seized around 50 vessels carrying 400 activists "hundreds of kilometers from the Israeli coast" and informed those on board that they were "under arrest," Israeli media reported.

Military speedboats intercepted the ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set out for Gaza on April 26 to deliver aid in international waters off the coast of Crete.

There are dozens of Italians on board, which is why Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani immediately activated the Crisis Unit.

"The driving force behind the flotilla's provocation is Hamas, in collaboration with professional provocateurs, with the aim of sabotaging the transition of President Trump's peace plan to its second phase," the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated, also confirming the illegal boarding in international waters. "Due to the size of the flotilla, consisting of over a hundred ships and a thousand men, it was decided to intercept it far from the Israeli coast, in international waters.

"Piracy"

"Israel's actions this evening mark a dangerous and unprecedented escalation: the kidnapping of civilians in the middle of the Mediterranean, more than 960 kilometers from Gaza, before the eyes of the entire world. Let us be clear about what this is. This is piracy, the illegal kidnapping of human beings on the high seas near Crete," the Flotilla said in a statement, emphasizing that Israel can "operate with total impunity, well beyond its borders, without facing consequences."

Again: "The Israeli navy has intercepted ships, jammed communications, including emergency channels, and forcibly abducted civilians. These are not disputed border areas. These are international waters. Even more alarming is the silence. Governments claiming to uphold international law have, once again, said nothing. No urgent condemnation. No immediate demand for the release of prisoners. No call for those responsible to be held accountable. This lack of response is not neutrality, it is authorization and it is complicity."

A "catastrophic" precedent, in short, denounces the Flotilla, which asks where the "kidnapped" civilians are and wonders whether European governments have collaborated.

(Unioneonline/L)

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