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The Global Sumud Flotilla carrying activists and humanitarian aid to Gaza, attempting to break through Israel’s naval blockade, said it was approached by what one of its members described as an Israeli military vessel in the early hours of Wednesday.
The ship, according to activist Thiago Avila and others, damaged communication systems on some of the boats within the fleet, including the lead boats Alma and Sirius, and performed “very dangerous maneuvers”.
In a collaborative post on Avila’s Instagram page, a large vessel can be seen circling the flotilla’s fleet. It is unclear whether the ship the activist accused of the attack was indeed Israeli, as visibility was limited.
Euronews reviewed the video and could not independently verify the vessel’s identity.
“Despite the loss of electronic devices, no one has been injured and we keep on going to Gaza to break the siege and create a humanitarian corridor,” Avila said on Instagram.
The group stated in a post on Telegram Wednesday that its vessels were around 120 nautical miles (222 kilometres) off Gaza when multiple unidentified vessels approached them, which they said had already left.
“Unidentified vessels approached a number of boats in the Flotilla, some with their lights off. Participants applied security protocols in preparation for an interception. The vessels have now left the Flotilla,” the post said.
It is unclear whether more than one vessel was involved in the alleged attack.
The group added that it is determined to outperform previous fleets and reach Gaza this time. The last two missions to sail, the Madleen in June, were intercepted by Israeli vessels around 100 nautical miles off the Strip, while the Handala reached 57 nautical miles.
Several European nations, including Spain and Italy, provided escort to the flotilla on parts of its journey, after reports of drone attacks near Greece.
The attacks come as Israeli forces continue to intensify their offensive on Gaza, which reaches the two-year mark in one week.
Palestinian medical sources say at least 42 people were killed in Tuesday’s attacks across the besieged territory, mainly in the north, where the IDF is conducting ground operations in Gaza City, and injuring close to 200 others.
The death toll has also now surpassed 66,000, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures do not distinguish between civilian and combatant casualties.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump unveiled his 21-point peace plan for Gaza alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an Oval Office meeting.
The plan would see the release of all remaining hostages held under Hamas captivity in Gaza, around 50, with approximately half of them believed to be still alive.
It would also see the disbandment of Hamas, who’d be given “safe passage” to exit Gaza into other countries or amnesty if they choose to remain in the enclave, and the appointment of a provisional oversight government, led by former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Trump says “all the Arab countries” have agreed to his proposal, along with Israel, though countries like Qatar have offered a different perspective, on Tuesday claiming that “more discussions” were needed before they could endorse his plan.
Trump also noted that Hamas is the last remaining party that must accept this deal for it to go forward, urging it to take this proposal and warning it of serious consequences in the failure to do so.
Additional sources • AP
