Gaza aid flotilla to hold press conference following Israeli interception attempt
Large warship was spotted early Wednesday near Gaza-bound convoy as organizers reported state of high alert at sea
ISTANBUL
Organizers of an international aid flotilla bound for Gaza plan to hold a press conference on Wednesday to address an Israeli attempt to intercept the convoy.
The Global Sumud Flotilla said the conference will be held at 12.30 pm Gaza time (0930UTC) near the 120-nautical-mile (222 kilometers) line off Gaza’s coast.
Speakers will include Lisi Proenca, a participant aboard the vessel Sirius; Thiago Ávila, a member of the flotilla steering committee on board the ship Alma; Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories; and Lamis J. Deek, an international lawyer and director of legal-diplomatic affairs for the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation Commission.
A large warship was spotted early Wednesday near the Gaza-bound flotilla as organizers reported a state of high alert at sea.
Contact has been restored with the Alma after being lost for a short time, said an Al Jazeera correspondent on board the flotilla.
According to the correspondent, an Israeli vessel came within just five feet of the Alma, the lead ship in the flotilla, and jammed all of its communication systems as well as its engine, rendering them inoperative.
He added that participants on board the Alma threw their phones into the sea in line with established security protocols.
The correspondent later reported that the Israeli vessel had left the area, allowing the flotilla to resume its course toward the shores of the Gaza Strip.
An official flotilla statement said that Israeli naval forces carried out “an intimidatory operation” against the convoy in the early morning.
The Gaza Strip has been under an 18-year Israeli siege. Tel Aviv tightened the blockade 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.
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