Organizers of the “Global Sumud Flotilla”—a relief convoy bound for Gaza—have alleged that Israeli forces opened fire on at least two ships within the fleet yesterday, Tuesday. Video footage has also emerged capturing scenes of the shooting. Meanwhile, on the very same day, Israel detained fifty vessels belonging to the flotilla.
However, Israel has stated that it did not use live ammunition and that there were no casualties in the incident.
Prior to this, in late April, Israel had intercepted a Global Sumud flotilla bound for Gaza while it was in international waters. This latest flotilla was once again attempting to reach Gaza with relief supplies.
Video footage of the Global Sumud voyage was being broadcast live. The video appears to show Israeli soldiers firing at two of the vessels. It remains unclear from the video what type of ammunition was used.
Subsequently, a statement issued by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted: “Lethal force was never used.”
The statement further added: “Following multiple warnings, non-lethal measures were employed—not directed at the demonstrators themselves, but rather at the vessels as a warning signal. No demonstrators were injured during these incidents.”
Subsequently, the Global Sumud Flotilla announced that all 50 vessels comprising the current convoy in the Eastern Mediterranean had been detained. Additionally, Israel has detained 428 participants hailing from more than 40 different countries. Among them are 78 Turkish nationals.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that all 430 activists have been transferred to Israeli vessels. They are currently en route to Israel. The Ministry further noted that the activists would be granted permission to meet with their respective consular representatives.
It remains immediately unclear why Israel and the flotilla organizers are providing conflicting figures regarding the number of individuals present on the vessels. On Monday, the previous day, Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated in a post on the social media platform X that they would not allow any violation of the “legitimate naval blockade” of Gaza.
Speaking in Ankara that same night, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the interference against the flotilla. He also called upon the international community to take action against Israel’s measures.
The vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla set sail from southern Turkey last Thursday for the third time. Previously, Israel had thwarted their two previous attempts to deliver aid to Gaza and detained participants of the Global Sumud in international waters.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced yesterday that it is imposing sanctions on four individuals linked to a flotilla. It described these four individuals as pro-Hamas.
