Meloni summoned the ministers after the seizure of the Global Sumud Flotilla ships off Crete. Rome demands the release of the Italians and compliance with international law.
The Italian government on Thursday called for the immediate release of Italian nationals from the Global Sumud Flotilla who were captured by the Israeli navy near the Greek island of Crete. TASR informs about it according to the reports of the AFP and ANSA agencies.
- The Italian government is demanding the immediate release of its citizens detained by the Israeli navy.
- Rome claims the ships were seized in international waters off Greece.
- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni addressed the incident with the foreign and defense ministers.
- Israel announced the detention of 175 activists from more than twenty ships of the fleet.
- The UN accuses Israel of preventing the flow of humanitarian goods to the Gaza Strip.
“The Italian government condemns the detention of the vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which took place last night in international waters off the coast of Greece, and calls on the Israeli government to immediately release all illegally detained Italians in full respect of international law and to guarantee the physical safety of those on board,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said in a statement.
The reaction of the Italian government
According to the statement, the Prime Minister met on Thursday with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, the head of the Department of Defense Guido Crosetto and the Secretary of State of the Government Alfredo Mantovano, with whom she discussed the flotilla sailing with humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
“The government reiterates its commitment to continue providing humanitarian aid to Gaza within the framework of our cooperation and in accordance with international law,” the office informed in a statement.
Detention of activists
Israel says it has “detained” 175 activists on more than 20 ships that were part of the flotilla. ANSA, citing its sources, said that 24 Italians were captured.
The Global Sumud Flotilla wrote in a statement that the Israeli military “kidnapped 211 activists an unprecedented distance” from Israel. She described the incident as piracy.
Tel Aviv controls all entry points to the Gaza Strip. The UN and several foreign non-governmental organizations have repeatedly accused the Jewish state of preventing the flow of goods to this Palestinian territory.
