Israeli forces intercept Gaza aid flotilla
The organisers of a flotilla of aid vessels bound for Gaza said on Monday that Israeli forces had intercepted 39 of their boats in the eastern Mediterranean, while the remaining ships were continuing to sail toward the enclave.
Earlier on Monday, Israel's foreign ministry had said on X that it "will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza".
Ships from the Global Sumud Flotilla had set sail for a third time on Thursday from southern Turkey, after earlier attempts to deliver aid to Gaza were intercepted by Israel in international waters.
Live video showed military vessels approaching the vessels on Monday.
"Military vessels are currently intercepting our fleet and (Israeli) forces are boarding the first of our boats in broad daylight," the Global Sumud Flotilla initially said on X.
"We demand safe passage for our legal, non-violent humanitarian mission."
The group said there were 426 people taking part in the 54-vessel flotilla from 39 countries. It named 44 Turks among those on the intercepted vessels, some 250 nautical miles (463 km) from Gaza.
The Israeli military has arrested aid workers who were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying relief supplies for the oppressed people of Gaza.
Those arrested belong to different countries. Among them is Saad Edhi, the grandson of Abdul Sattar Edhi, who was representing Pakistan and heading toward Gaza with his team.
At the time of the Israeli operation, Saad was recording a video in which scenes of the Israeli military taking control of the flotilla boats and arresting the workers were captured.
Forty-five years ago, Abdul Sattar Edhi himself was similarly arrested by the Israeli military in 1980 while traveling to Gaza with relief supplies to help Palestinians.
Speaking to the Express Tribune, the head of the Edhi Foundation, Faisal Edhi, said that the aid workers were arrested near Greece in international waters, calling the act illegal. He added that the Government of Pakistan should raise its voice against this action on international forums.
Edhi further stated that there is still no information about Saad's whereabouts or where the Israeli military has transferred the detained aid workers. However, it is expected that more information regarding Saad and the aid workers from other countries may emerge on Tuesday.
The number of aid workers is reported to be more than five hundred, and they belong to different countries.
Turkey's foreign ministry condemned the Israeli intervention as a "new act of piracy", adding Ankara was taking the necessary steps to ensure the safe return of Turkish citizens on board the flotilla in coordination with other relevant countries.
Speaking in Ankara, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan also condemned the intervention against the "voyagers of hope" in the flotilla and called on the international community to act against Israel's actions.
The previous flotilla departed from Spain on April 12. But Israeli forces intercepted vessels in that group, taking more than 100 pro-Palestinian activists to Crete and detaining two others in Israel.
Last October, Israel's military halted another flotilla assembled by the same organisation, arresting Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and more than 450 participants.
Palestinians and international aid bodies, along with Turkey and a number of other countries, say supplies reaching Gaza are still insufficient, despite a ceasefire reached in October that included guarantees of increased aid.