Rome and Berlin admonish Israel over halted Gaza flotilla

A joint statement suggests that, in the view of the two governments, stopping the "Global Sumud" flotilla in international waters may not be compatible with international law. "We call for full respect for applicable international law and for refraining from irresponsible actions," it said.

The organizers of the aid flotilla accuse Israel of violent action during the operation on Thursday night. Israel, on the other hand, emphasizes that the operation was carried out in accordance with international law and that there were no casualties.

The Israeli navy had stopped more than 20 boats of the aid flotilla west of the Greek island of Crete and arrested dozens of activists. Some boats continued their journey after the night-time incident. Data from the flotilla initiators' online tracker and the Marine Traffic ship tracking system showed that several boats were moving along the coast of Crete within Greek territorial waters in the evening. The organizers initially made no statements about further plans.

Rome and Berlin: full respect for international law

The German-Italian statement said that the stop of the "Global Sumud" flotilla was being followed with "great concern". At the same time, Berlin and Rome defended the efforts of the international community "to provide humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip in accordance with international law and international standards". The Italian government also called for the "immediate release of all illegally detained Italians", according to a statement from a meeting held by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with some of her ministers. The activists include both Italians and Germans.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that the arrested activists would be brought ashore in Greece in coordination with the Greek government. The Foreign Ministry in Athens confirmed that Greece was prepared to take in the activists on its territory and ensure their safe return to their home countries.

All of the activists taken from the boats so far have remained unharmed, Saar explained.

Sea blockade against Gaza Strip since 2007

The aid flotilla set sail from Sicily on Sunday with dozens of ships bound for the Gaza Strip. The organization spoke of the largest flotilla that had ever attempted to reach the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the USA criticized the flotilla's activists and associated them with the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas. In a statement, US State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott spoke of a "pro-Hamas initiative" that was attempting to undermine US President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan. Israel had previously accused the organizers of collaborating with Hamas, which still controls around half of the coastal strip, in the preparations.

The US has now said that it expects its allies to take action against this "senseless political stunt" by denying the flotilla's boats access to ports as well as refusing to dock, disembark or refuel. Allies were also to issue public warnings to their nationals not to join the flotilla.

The pro-Palestinian activists wanted to try once again to break through the Israeli naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has been in place since 2007 and is also supported by Egypt, and bring aid supplies to the conflict region. The declared aim of the "Global Sumud Flotilla" is also to promote the establishment of a permanent humanitarian corridor.

In the past, Israel has always prevented attempts by activists to break through the sea blockade off the sealed-off coastal strip. In a previous attempt, the "Global Sumud Flotilla", consisting mainly of private sailing and motor boats, was stormed by Israeli special forces last fall and prevented from reaching the area.