The boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla were affected by the Israeli Navy while they were in international waters, about 70 nautical miles from the coast, traveling to the Gaza strip. According to reports from the Israeli military forces, from 19:25 yesterday (Italian time, 20:25 local) were stopped about 40 of the 47 boats of the Flotilla: the tracker following the humanitarian expedition reports only two ships still on the road, the Fair Lady and the Marinette, while the contacts were lost with Mikeno.
The activists will be arrested and conducted in a center in the port of Ashdod, where they can choose between two alternatives: to accept immediate voluntary expulsion, “which will take place in the fastest possible times”, or refuse immediate expulsion and accept a detention in prison waiting for forced repatriation, which should arrive within 48/72 hours.
It should be remembered that, according to international law and the Montego Bay convention of 1982, the territorial waters of a state extend up to 12 nautical miles (about 22 km) from the basic line of the coast: beyond this threshold, no state has the legitimacy of blocking access, navigation or exploitation of resources by other boats, especially if civil and unarmed, as in this case.
Shortly after 12, the Israeli Foreign Ministry published a post on X in which it announces that:
None of the Flotilla boats managed to enter an active combat area or violate the legitimate naval blockage. All passengers are healthy and safe. They are traveling safely to Israel, from which they will be expelled to Europe. One last ship of this provocation remains at a distance. If he approached, his attempt to enter an active combat area and violate the naval block will also be prevented.
When the bombing of the Global Sumud Flotilla began by Israel and how it went
The flotilla was affected around 19:25 (20:25 local) of 1 October by Israeli military ships less than 70 miles from Gaza. According to the latest tracker detection, only 2 ships from the Global Sumud Flotilla are still in navigation, headed for Gaza: Fair Lady and Marinette. With Mikeno, however, contacts were lost. According to reports from the forces of the Shayetet 13 special unit of the Israeli Navy, about 40 of the 47 boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla were affected. Five others, however, would have blocked at sea due to technical problems, which according to Israeli sources would be “independent of military actions”.
At the moment there are at least 22 Italians, among whom there are MEPs of the M5S, AVS and the Democratic Party, but also journalists such as Saverio Tommasi. Among the arrested activists there is also Greta Thunberg, already the protagonist of shipping from Flotilla in the past. According to the reconstructions, the captured activists would not have opposed any resistance to the tanning in agreement with the peaceful and nonviolent spirit of the humanitarian mission declared by the organization of the Flotilla itself.
As mentioned, according to the UN Convention on 1982 sea (UNCLOS) convention, also known as Montego Bay convention, the territorial waters extend only up to 12 nautical miles from the basic line of the coast (about 22 km).
So far, however, there would have been no episodes of violence against activists: probably, the bordering operations are lasting several hours also to avoid accidents, which could put Israel in a complicated position being foreign citizens, mostly European. To consider, then, there is also the amount of boats that composes the Flotilla, 47 in total, with more than 200 activists on board.
What could happen now to the activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla and the Italians involved
To stop the Global Sumud Flotilla had already been made public to stop: the goal is to intercept the boats through the units of the Shayetet 13, block the activists, gather them on large military ships and lead them to the port of Ashdod, where they will be questioned and deported.
As also reported on the website of the Italian Foreign Ministry, activists now have two alternatives available: the first is to accept immediate voluntary expulsion, “which will take place in the fastest possible times”; The second is to refuse immediate expulsion, accepting a detention in prison pending forced repatriation: “In this case, partnership members will have to wait for the judicial authority rejection measure, the pronouncement of which generally comes after 48-72 hours”.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has announced that the Italians involved will still have to wait 2/3 days as the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur (which falls between 1 and 2 October), during which no practice will be defrosted: according to the words of the minister, our compatriots “will wait in a center, probably in the port of Ashdod”. Farnesina, however, is in constant contact with Tel Aviv to provide assistance to Italian citizens.
Reactions in Italy and internationally
The bordering of the Global Sumud Flotilla immediately generated international reactions: in Italy, policies and lightning mobilizations have been organized in 35 cities, with the main Italian railway stations (Milan, Naples, Bologna) blocked by activists. In Rome, however, more than 10,000 people gathered in front of Palazzo Chigi to protest, while the port of Genoa was blocked by port workers as a sign of protest. In Bologna, a procession from Piazza Maggiore started, while clashes were recorded between the police and the activists who tried to block the station. For tomorrow, Friday 3 October, CGIL and USB have launched a new general strike in favor of Gaza and support the Flotilla, on the basis of that already happened on September 22nd.
As for the rest of the world, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed full solidarity towards Flotilla, while the spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Esmail Baghaei, defined the intervention of Israel as “a clear violation of international principles” and “an act of terrorism”.
