Israel ends the flotilla with help to intercept the mission ships in international waters | International

The Army of Israel ended between Wednesday night and the early morning of Thursday to the mission that tried to carry in maritime humanitarian aid to Gaza to try to break the blockade to which the strip is subjected and in which the country was embarked. Late in the afternoon, and in less than two hours, the Armed Forces took control of the three main ships of the flotilla, with a total of 90 passengers, 26 of them Spanish: Alma, in which the entire direction of the mission was traveling (also the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, from whom the Israeli government has shared images of his detention), Sirius, in which Ada Colau was, and March, With about 25 passengers.

The Israeli army has ended the humanitarian mission after a one -month journey and when it was, according to the flotilla, 70 nautical miles (129 kilometers) of the coast of Gaza. After 23.00 (Time of Peninsular Spain), three other ships were intercepted in what the organization described as “active aggression.” “Florida He was deliberately rammed at sea. Yulara, Meteque And others were attacked with water cannons, “also the Captain Nikos, where a reporter from this newspaper was traveling, approached at 6.20, Spanish time.

On the morning of Thursday, only four of the 44 ships of the flotilla – two of them legal support – continued to “sail”, according to the organization’s data. However, and according to maritime tracking websites, these vessels remained still, foreseeably waiting for the approach. About two o’clock this Thursday, the Israeli authorities ended the interception operations.

As already, everything has happened in international waters, when the flotilla approached the coast of the Palestinian enclave, a circumstance that violates international law. The Israeli operation has ended the mission without reaching the coast of the strip. The Israel Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday to “arrested several ships from the flotilla” and said the operation spent “safely” and that “passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port.”

The Italian government also confirmed the approach to the ships. Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said that all vessels were surrounded by Israeli ships in the sea against Gaza and that their occupants will be transferred to Israel for later expulsion.

The Foreign Ministry of Spain has reported Wednesday of its conversations with the Embassy in Tel Aviv to “specifically interested in Spanish citizens and guarantee all diplomatic and consular protection.” Minister José Manuel Albares is in contact with countries with citizens in the flotilla, “especially Ireland and Türkiye,” according to sources from that department.

530 crew

The Global Sumud Flotilla was made up of 44 ships with 530 crew on board at the time of the intervention of Israeli forces. He Captain Nikosthe ship in which the country was traveling, was surrounded several times by the ships of the Israeli army. The communications were cut and subsequently resumed. , which has classified the mission several times as the “Hamas Flotilla”, argues that they were heading towards a conflict zone.

On Wednesday morning, when most ships were already about 115 nautical miles (just over 200 kilometers), the “high risk of interception”, the members detected an “increase in drone activity” and the implementation of the first acts of intimidation of the Israeli naval force.

After these performances and while moving towards the Palestinian coast, the passengers aboard the boats were alert, aware that the approach was imminent. The first to be intercepted was the AlmaBritish flag ship in which the steering committee and activist Greta Thunberg was traveling. After being surrounded by Israeli ships, he has lost communication. Then came the Sirius, The ship with Ada Colau, and then the March.

In that. First, the members of the ships threw all electronic devices into the water. The objective was that Israel did not obtain any information about all the people involved in the mission, both on board and from the ground, so as not to expose them to possible reprisals. They sought to avoid revealing the identity of the captain or the coordinator. All objects that could be used to exercise violence, such as kitchen knives, hooks, tools or other blunt elements were also thrown into the water.

When the soldiers approached the ships, the entire crew put the life vest, he went to the widest area of ​​the ship and waited for the approach with his hands high and the passport in his pocket. To show the non -violent character of the mission, direct interaction or visual contact with the military was not allowed. Everyone had been told to obey orders. If a person was going to be isolated, it was recommended to avoid it by grabbing it by the legs, but always with visible hands and without sudden movements.

Because the interception occurred in international waters and, therefore, far from the coast, it is foreseeable that there are several hours until the ships reach the ground.

It is unknown that treatment received the intercepted flotilla participants. In previous missions, the 12 people on board were forced to spend the night on deck, while the military recorded the ship. When it was made during the day, they allowed them to entry into the ship. The organization recommended not to take or eat the foods that the soldiers offered.

Once the participants arrive at the port, different scenarios are opened for the detainees., After stepping on the mainland, the detainees will be directed towards a migration police station, accused of having tried to enter the country illegally. There will wait for you the Flotilla’s lawyers, already prevented to act and with the representation permits previously signed by the participants. Some citizens, such as the Spaniards, will also have consular support, while others, such as the British or the Americans, have received the warning that they will not receive this support for not having followed the recommendation to abandon the mission previously.

Interrogations

Although soldiers can try to start with interrogations before the legal team arrives, the organization has recommended not pronouncing any word until it is present. It will be then when they offer to sign different documents. The first of them is the immediate deportation. Signing this role is recognized by the intention of having tried to enter Israel illegally, which is accompanied by a prohibition of accessing the country for a period of time that can be up to 100 years. In addition, it implies that there will be no trial and that the signing person will be deported within a maximum period of 72 hours.

In case of not signing any of the previous documents, it would be considered that the person is an illegal immigrant and would lose the possibility of immediate deportation. It would then be taken to a prison and subsequently judged. But it would be exposed to a worse treatment and its detention period could be extended up to five days.

Finally, there would be the citizens who have already participated in previous flotles and on which the prohibition of entering Israel would weigh. These cases – there are several in the mission, such as the French MEP Rima Hassan, activist Greta Thunberg or Thiago Ávila, one of the leaders of the flotilla – does not have the option of signing the immediate deportation. These people are very likely to be taken to prison directly for an undetermined number of days. On previous occasions, having made a hunger strike has accelerated its deportation, but Israeli legislation contemplates the forced feeding of prisoners if your life is considered in danger.