TUNIS, Tunisia / ISTANBUL

Human rights group Amnesty International called Tuesday for protection for an aid flotilla sailing toward Gaza to break Israel’s blockade on the enclave, expressing concern over Israeli threats to the convoy.

In a statement, the London-based organization voiced “deep concern over the (Israeli) threats against the Global Sumud Flotilla heading to Gaza to deliver urgent, life-saving humanitarian aid.”

Amnesty warned that as the flotilla approaches a “highly dangerous area,” fears are growing that Israeli forces may intercept the convoy, citing Israeli media reports that the military is planning an operation roughly 180 kilometers off Gaza’s coast – outside Israel’s territorial waters.

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said Tuesday that the military is preparing to intercept the convoy and tow the vessels to Ashdod Port in southern Israel.

The rights group said the fleet includes more than 40 ships and hundreds of activists from 44 countries, describing the mission as a “peaceful initiative aimed at breaking Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza,” in place for 18 years.

The flotilla’s departure, Amnesty said, comes amid “systematic famine, the collapse of the health care system, and a comprehensive (Israeli) blockade,” making humanitarian deliveries “an urgent and necessary act of solidarity.”

It said Arab League member states have a “special responsibility to protect their nationals on board,” and that countries in the region also bear a “moral and political responsibility toward the illegal blockade of Gaza.”

Amnesty called on governments to “publicly condemn any (potential) attack or obstruction of the flotilla and demand immediate protection for all participants.”

The flotilla, loaded mainly with humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail several days ago in a bid to break the Israeli blockade.

This marks the first time in years that dozens of ships have sailed together toward Gaza, home to about 2.4 million Palestinians and under Israeli blockade for roughly 18 years.

Israel tightened the siege further on March 2 by closing all border crossings and blocking food, medicine and aid, pushing Gaza into famine despite aid trucks piling up at its borders.

The Israeli army has killed over 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.