Alwaght- Israeli regime has “hijacked” a vessel belonging to the Freedom Flotilla activist group after having been “threatened” via radio, the group said on Sunday.
The boat was en route to Gaza with 22 people from 16 nations on board and carrying a cargo of €13,000 ($15,000) worth of medical supplies.
The boat was sailing under a Norwegian flag and took off from Italy with 22 activists on board, including Israeli activist Yonatan Shapira, who is on his fourth attempt to break the blockade from the sea.
“The Freedom Flotilla Coalition calls on the Norwegian Government, the national governments of those aboard Al Awda and the Freedom [Flotilla], other national governments, and relevant international organizations to act immediately,” said Torstein Dahle of Ship to Gaza Norway, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
“The international community must assume its responsibilities and demand that Israeli authorities ensure the safety of those on board, the speedy delivery of our gifts to the Palestinian people in Gaza, an end to the illegal blockade of Gaza, and to stop impeding our legal right of innocent passage to Gaza to deliver our gift of much-needed medical supplies.”
Other activists came from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, UK and the United States.
The Israeli regime confirmed the interception of the vessel, saying it violated the blockade of Gaza. Gaza has been under Israeli siege since June 2007, causing a decline in living standards as well as unprecedented unemployment and poverty