BENJAMIN Netanyahu commended Israeli soldiers for “thwarting" the Global Sumud Flotilla aid mission, while describing it as "a malicious plan designed to break the isolation we are imposing on Hamas terrorists in Gaza”.
The Israeli prime minister, who was supposed to be in court on Monday to testify in his ongoing corruption trial but requested a cancellation due to all-day security meetings, made the comments while watching the operation from military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian mission sailing to Gaza with the aim of delivering much-needed aid and breaking Israel's blockade of the besieged enclave.
The interception took place in international waters around 250 nautical miles from Gaza, where Israel has no jurisdiction.
The UK Government has been told to intervene "as a matter of urgency", with at least 11 UK national believed to have been among those detained. These include 68-year-old Hughie Stirling from Ullapool.
His family and loved ones have pleaded for his safe return, urging the Foreign Office to take immediate action.
Dr Margaret Connolly – the sister of the Catherine Connolly, Ireland's president – is among a number of Irish citizens detained.
Militant group Hamas has also called on the international community to pressure Israel to end its blockade of Gaza.
Turkey also echoed Hamas’s piracy accusation and called on Israel to immediately halt the operation and release the flotilla participants.
“Israel’s attacks and intimidation policies will in no way prevent the international community’s pursuit of justice or its solidarity with the Palestinian people,” the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.
Turkey was working to secure the safe return of its own citizens taking part in the flotilla, the ministry added.
More than 50 vessels departed from the port of Marmaris, in Turkey, last week in what the organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla described as the final leg of their planned journey to Gaza’s shores.
The organisation’s livestream on Monday showed activists aboard several vessels putting on life jackets and raising their hands before a boat carrying troops approached. Israeli troops wearing tactical gear boarded the ship, and the livestream abruptly ended. Many of the ships are currently off the coast of Cyprus.
Other footage showed Israeli troops on speedboats approaching and instructing the activists to move to the front of the boat.
The UK Foreign Office declined to comment on the escalating situation.
