The Israeli Navy arrested, this Thursday, 175 activists from the “Gaza Flotilla” who were on board 20 vessels, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.
“Approximately 175 activists from more than 20 flotilla vessels are currently sailing peacefully towards Israel,” the Ministry said via social media, indicating that the detainees had been transferred to Israeli ships.
Earlier, organizers of the Global Samud Flotilla, which transports activists seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, announced that the vessels had been surrounded by Israeli warships while sailing off the coast of Crete, Greece.
According to the Spanish news agency EFE, the flotilla was intercepted by the Israeli Navy approximately 1,200 kilometers from the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested information from Israeli authorities to clarify the circumstances of the operation that damaged several vessels from the Sumud Global Flotilla.
A statement indicated that Italian Foreign Minister António Tajani had instructed Rome’s embassies in Tel Aviv and Athens to collect information from Israeli and Greek officials.
The objective, the statement added, is to allow the Italian Government to “implement the necessary measures to protect Italian citizens” who are part of the flotilla.
The Sumud Global Flotilla sailed towards the Gaza Strip and was made up of 58 vessels.
