One yacht continues to sail toward the Palestinian enclave despite the Israeli military’s extensive destruction of a humanitarian flotilla trying to break its siege on Gaza.
The last vessel left in service of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was once a 44-strong fleet, was the Polish-flagged Marinette, which is reportedly home to a crew of six.
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The Australian captain, who only identified himself as Cameron, explained that the boat had engine problems at the start of the video call with the flotilla organizers late on Thursday and was thus lagging behind the main group. Cameron continued, adding that the ship is currently “steaming” toward Gaza.
He said, “We have a bunch of very tough Turks on board; we have a woman from Oman and myself on board,” and we will just keep going in that direction.
The yacht’s crew is steered by the sun as it rises behind them in Mediterranean Sea international waters, as captured in a live video feed from the yacht’s 04:00 GMT live stream.
The ship is 43 nautical miles (approximately 80 kilometers) from Gaza’s territorial waters, according to a live geo tracker.
The Marinette was previously informed by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs that “its attempt to enter and breach the blockade will also be avoided.”
42 boats were intercepted without permission.
Their passengers were unlawfully taken.
The world witnessed what occurs when a siege is challenged by civilians.
Marinette continues to sail.
She is aware of the fate of her water sisters.
She is aware of what lies ahead. And sh… https://t.co/XAtq1RHLyK
About 500 activists from more than 40 nations have been detained and dozens of boats carrying humanitarian supplies to Gaza have been stopped by Israel’s naval forces since Wednesday.
Israel had previously accused the volunteers of trying to “breach a lawful naval blockade,” which violated international law, and promised to take whatever steps to stop them.
Before transferring each boat to Israel, where the crew will be deported, the Israeli navy intercepted each and held them captive. Among those detained are prominent figures like activist Greta Thunberg, former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, and Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan.
The flotilla has attracted international attention as the navy’s largest naval aid mission to date in an effort to deliver supplies to the Palestinian enclave, and protests have erupted all over the world following its seizure.
International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), which represents more than 16.5 million transport workers worldwide, stated in an interview that “attacking or seizing nonviolent, humanitarian vessels in international waters” is against international law.
“States are unable to pick and choose when to uphold international law.” He argued that the seas must not be used as a staging area for war.
In response to Israel’s actions, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that his country would expelling Israeli diplomats and cancelling Colombia’s free trade agreement.
Germany, France, Spain, Greece, and Ireland are just a few examples of European countries calling on Israel to respect the rights of the crew members it has seized.
Israel’s actions are not yet being commented upon by the UN, but Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur for Palestine, has called the interceptions “illegal abductions.”
Source: Aljazeera
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