The Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla said Thursday morning that Israeli naval forces intercepted and disabled several of its vessels in international waters, leaving hundreds of civilians stranded at sea as a storm approached.
In a statement through the US social media platform X, the group said Israeli forces “intercepted, boarded, and systematically disabled” multiple boats taking part in the flotilla.
“After smashing engines and destroying navigation arrays, the military retreated -- intentionally leaving hundreds of civilians stranded on powerless, broken vessels directly in the path of a massive approaching storm,” the statement said.
“Communications with multiple vessels have been jammed, severing their ability to coordinate or signal for help,” the flotilla added.
The group described the incident as part of a broader pattern of actions targeting civilians.
“Tonight, the world is witnessing the export of the Israeli military’s doctrine of engineered abandonment,” the statement said, describing the incident as “a violent raid,” where Israeli naval forces have “intercepted, boarded, and systematically disabled various boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla.”
It also linked the incident to the situation in the Gaza Strip, accusing Israel of imposing prolonged restrictions and hardship on the enclave.
“The logic being deployed tonight is identical: the Israeli state creates the conditions for death, sabotages the means of survival, and then waits for ‘nature’ or ‘circumstance’ to finish the job,” the statement added.
Late Wednesday, the Israeli Army Radio said naval forces had started taking control of flotilla vessels bound for Gaza far from Israel’s coast.
It added that Israeli forces had so far seized seven of the flotilla vessels near the Greek island of Crete.
The flotilla, carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, aims to break Israel’s blockade and open a humanitarian corridor by sea.
Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving about 1.5 million Palestinians out of roughly 2.4 million homeless after their homes were destroyed during the war.
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