Khaberni - The organizers of the Global Fleet of Steadfastness, which includes aid ships heading to the Gaza Strip, said that more than 100 pro-Palestinian activists were transferred today, Friday, to the Greek island of Crete after Israeli forces seized ships from the fleet in international waters near Greece.
The activists were aboard the second fleet organized by the "Global Fleet of Steadfastness Initiative," launched months ago in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza by delivering humanitarian aid. The ships sailed from the port of Barcelona, Spain, on April 12th.
The organizers said that an Israeli military ship today transferred 168 activists participating in the fleet to Greek boats, which then took them to shore where buses and one ambulance were waiting. According to the organizers, Israel continues to detain two of the fleet's activists.
On his part, the Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno said that 30 Spaniards have arrived in Crete, but Spanish citizen Saif Abu Kishk was detained "illegally" and is being transferred to Israel, demanding his "immediate release."
Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry claimed that Abu Kishk "is suspected of belonging to a terrorist organization and that he and another activist suspected of engaging in illegal activities will be transferred to Israel for interrogation."
The fleet's organizers via Telegram said that the activists were prevented from getting enough food and water and "were forced to sleep on floors that were deliberately and repeatedly flooded" aboard an Israeli naval ship, describing their treatment as "40 hours of intentional cruelty."
They added that some of them were injured with nose and rib fractures after being kicked and dragged across the deck of the ship with their hands tied, following their protest against the detention of their colleagues.
The German and Italian Foreign Ministries issued a joint statement in which they said they were following the developments "with great concern."
Ships trying to reach
Reuters quoted a source who asked not to be named saying, "Despite Israel's interception of 22 ships, another 47 ships continue to sail off the south coast of Crete with plans to anchor there sometime before continuing their journey to Gaza." He added that each ship carries about a ton of food supplies, medical supplies, and more.
The organizers of the fleet reported that Israel detained 22 ships late last Wednesday in international waters off the Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, hundreds of miles from Gaza.
The U.S. State Department in a statement issued last Thursday threatened "consequences" for those who support the fleet, describing it as supportive of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
The Israeli military previously stopped a fleet launched by the same initiative in October in an attempt to reach the besieged Gaza Strip, detaining Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and over 450 participants. This followed other attempts to reach the besieged Gaza Strip by sea.
The Palestinians and international relief organizations say that despite a ceasefire reached in October, which included guarantees for increased aid, the supplies reaching Gaza are still insufficient.
Most of Gaza's population, numbering over two million, has been displaced, with many now living in destroyed homes, temporary tents set up on open lands, beside roads or on the ruins of destroyed buildings.
