Open Arms heads to the port of Kaloi Limenes, in Crete (Greece), with 12 activists who were traveling in a flotilla heading to Gaza whom he rescued. After the attack suffered by the Israeli navy, 22 civilian vessels They were left adrift without the authorities interveningdespite the SOS signals they emitted when they found that the controls were not responding. Of the boats that had been recovered by the Spanish NGO, which participated in the search and rescue of those that were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, three gradually sank due to the terrible condition in which they were left after the attack. Also contributing to this outcome was that the weather conditions were very adverse.
Open Arms participated in the mission to provide logistical, technical and health support to the flotilla. “It was not a search and rescue mission. But when you encounter civilian vessels without communications, without the ability to maneuver and with worsening weather conditions, it is not a choice: it is an obligation to intervene.”declared Oscar Camps, founder of Open Arms.
“We are facing a serious and unacceptable scenario: vessels in international waters, in an area under European responsibility, with sabotaged engines.communications interrupted and crews exposed. This is not normal in the Mediterranean, much less at the gates of Europe. The three boats that we rescued sank a few hours later: what would have happened without our intervention?
Drones and maneuvers
In the hours before the attack, beginning on the afternoon of April 29, Drones began to fly constantly over the area where the flotilla was located, while Israeli military units carried out intimidating maneuvers at close range, even crossing the route of the boats and launching drones from their deck. Shortly after, via the emergency radio channel, the flotilla was ordered to change course. In the following hours, systematic communications interference compromised the emergency systems, coordination channels and satellite navigation, causing the progressive loss of contact with several vessels until the collisions and the arrest of civilians on board were confirmed.
During the night, between 10:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m., Open Arms continued sailing eastwards alongside the units that were still operational, trying to reach Greek territorial waters as soon as possible. During those hours, new low-altitude overflights and movements of fast boats between the ships were recorded, while News of units intercepted or out of service increased. At 3:00 on April 30, Open Arms crossed the border of Greek territorial waters.
Ten minutes later one of the first critical alerts arrived: The Tam Tam boat had been intercepted, with the engine destroyed and adrift. An expanded search and rescue operation was formally launched in the morning, after confirming that at least 22 vessels in the flotilla were cut off. Throughout the day, the two Open Arms fast boats operated continuously, carrying out a complete inspection of the area, which made it possible to locate numerous units dispersed in a very concentrated period of time, many of them without crew and with serious structural damage.
At 9:55 the Tam Tam boat was located. It was adrift with seven activists on board, who were brought to safety. In the following hours, other units were located, including Trinidad (with five crew members on board) and Batolo, which were hooked up and towed. There were three simultaneous active trailers. Numerous vessels were found without crew, including Saf Saf, one of the flotilla’s coordination units, with its engine completely destroyed. It has been proven that much of the damage was deliberate: engines opened and disabled from the inside, systems compromised and water infiltration on board.
Criminalize solidarity
Open Arms denounces that what happened “represents an extremely serious violation of international law and maritime law.” Furthermore, it “expresses its deep concern about the situation of Saïf Abukeshek and Thiago Ávila, flotilla activists currently detained by Israeli forces.”
Both have been detained after the boarding and transferred to Israeli territory, while other members of the mission have denounced torture, ill-treatment and violence during custody. “Their arrest and the accusations made against them are framed in a broader context of criminalization of international solidarity and raise serious questions about respect for human rights.”.
Open Arms demands the immediate release of both activists and a clear and decisive intervention by the international community and European institutions to guarantee respect for international law, the protection of humanitarian missions and the safety of people at sea.
