A pro-Palestinian flotilla heading to Gaza has said it has been approached and harassed by Israeli naval boats that cut one of its lead vessels’ communication systems as Italy and Greece reiterated calls for Israel to guarantee the safety of those onboard.
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), carrying about 500 people including the climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, said it had an encounter with Israeli navy vessels that circled the fleet’s “lead boat for around six minutes” while remotely disabling its communication systems.
“In the early hours of this morning, Israeli occupation naval forces launched an intimidatory operation,” it said in a statement. On Wednesday morning the flotilla was north of Egypt about 140 miles (220km) away from Gaza, where previous attempts have been intercepted.
One of those onboard the lead
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