Below worldwide humanitarian legislation and the legislation of armed battle, using incendiary weapons towards a civilian inhabitants or civilian objects is prohibited in all circumstances.
Israel has enforced a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip for greater than a decade, first declaring the restriction in January 2009, when its navy introduced the closure of the coastal waters to all maritime visitors. The transfer got here some two years after Hamas took management of the area following a short however violent civil conflict with the rival Fatah occasion, the political and army group of Arab Palestinians, formally referred to as the Palestinian Nationwide Liberation Motion.
The International Sumud Flotilla organized the worldwide maritime initiative that goals to interrupt by Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and supply support to the war-torn territory.
On Sept. 9, the Alma, a British-flagged vessel, was attacked in the same method because the Household. In each instances, the group mentioned final month that the boats had been broken by the fireplace however the crew was capable of extinguish the flames rapidly. Nobody was killed or injured.
A screengrab from handout CCTV footage reveals a hearth that struck the Alma, a vessel of the International Sumud Flotilla, within the waters off the coast of Tunisia, Sept. 9, 2025.
International Sumud Flotilla/Handout through Reuters
“Confirmation of Israeli involvement would not surprise us; it would simply lay bare a pattern of arrogance and impunity so grotesque that it cannot escape eventual reckoning,” the International Sumud Flotilla mentioned in its assertion Friday.
The assertion added: “Whether the purpose of these attacks was to kill us, scare us away, or disable our boats, they recklessly endangered civilians and humanitarian volunteers. The world must take note: attempts to silence, intimidate, or obstruct our commitment to the Palestinian cause and people will not succeed. We call for urgent, independent investigations into these attacks and full accountability for those responsible.”
In separate incidents in late September, the activist group mentioned they had been attacked by 15 low-altitude drones whereas crusing south of Greece. The International Sumud Flotilla mentioned at the least 13 explosions had been heard on and round a number of flotilla boats and objects had been dropped on at the least 10 boats, inflicting harm. Whereas no casualties had been reported, the activist group mentioned that their communications techniques had been additionally disrupted.
This week, Israeli naval forces intercepted many of the vessels sure for Gaza, detaining dozens of activists together with Thunberg and several other European lawmakers, a transfer that drew swift worldwide criticism.
“We are a civilian aid mission, trying to break the siege into Gaza, and we are carrying humanitarian aid in accordance with international humanitarian and maritime law,” mentioned Stoker.
She added: “I mean, I’ve cried probably every single day on this boat as the violence since we’ve taken off on 31 August has escalated.”
Olivia Gazis
contributed to this report.
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