Israel intercepts Dutch boat in Gaza flotilla; At least 11 Dutch in Israeli custody
The Israeli army has intercepted the Dutch vessel Mohammed Bhar, which formed part of the flotilla trying to bring aid supplies to Gaza. The seven people on board were arrested. Four other Dutch people were arrested on other boats. And five Dutch people are currently still at sea, a spokesperson for the organization behind the Global Sumud Flotilla confirmed, NOS reports. Sumud is Arabic for “perseverance.”
Overnight, Israel intercepted at least 13 of the dozens of boats that formed part of the flotilla. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg is among the arrested. Nelson Mandela’s grandson, activist Mandla Mandela, is also on the flotilla. It is unclear whether he is in Israeli custody.
Some vessels are now less than 50 kilometers from the Gaza coast, the organization reported on X at around 4:30 a.m. on Thursday. The previous time the organization tried to reach Gaza with aid, the ship Madleen was intercepted 200 kilometers from the Gaza coast, in international waters.
After Israel started boarding ships, the French left-wing European Parliamentarian Emma Fourreau called on followers of the flotilla to go out and protest. “Israel has stopped the flotilla. let’s block everything. Block the country, paralyze the global economy. Let’s finish the flotilla’s mission: end the blockade, end the genocide in Gaza!" she said on the flotilla’s X profile.
Protests erupted in various cities worldwide, showing support for the Palestinian population and the activists aboard the flotilla. There were demonstrations in Rome, Athens, Istanbul, Berlin, Madrid, Buenos Aires, and other places, NOS reports. In The Hague, a small group of protesters approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged “the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of all passengers.” So far, it hasn’t responded to the arrest of Dutch citizens.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the navy had stopped several ships and would transfer the passengers to the Israeli port. It also posted a short video showing Greta Thunberg being handed a bottle of water and a warm vest, with the caption: “Greta and her friends are well and healthy.”
Israel has repeatedly called the flotilla the “Hamas-Sumud flotilla.” Israel says that it, as well as Italy and Greece, offered the flotilla “a way to peacefully deliver any aid they might have to Gaza,” the Ministry wrote on X. “The flotilla refused because they are not interested in aid, but in provocation.”
Israel hasn’t led aid into Gaza in any significant amounts for months. Of the 66,055 people, including 19,424 children, killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip as of September 29, 440 have starved to death. 147 children have died of starvation, Al Jazeera reported, based on the latest available figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
