Italy condemns ‘unlawful’ Israeli interception of Gaza aid flotilla
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CCTV footage shows crew members of the flotilla raising their arms as the vessel is said to be intercepted by the Israeli army.
PHOTO: REUTERS
ROME - Italy condemns Israel’s seizure of aid ships bound for Gaza and demands the immediate release of all Italians who have been “unlawfully detained”, said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office on April 30.
Israel intercepted the vessels in international waters near Greece late on April 29, a move the organisers – Global Sumud Flotilla – called an act of piracy against boats carrying humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.
Separately, Germany’s and Italy’s foreign ministries issued a joint statement saying they were following the developments with “deep concern”.
The statement, which did not mention Israel by name, called for “full respect of international law” and avoidance of “irresponsible actions”, adding that the two countries were committed to guaranteeing the safety of their citizens.
They did not say how many Italians or Germans had been detained.
Ms Meloni’s right-wing government has been one of Israel’s closest friends in Europe, but in recent weeks, it has criticised Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, which have killed hundreds and injured thousands.
Earlier in April, it suspended a defence cooperation deal with Israel on account of what was happening in the Middle East.
Israel, which controls all access to the Gaza Strip, denies withholding supplies for the more than two million residents and called those on board the flotilla boats “attention-seeking agitators”.
Israel’s military had halted a previous flotilla assembled by the same organisation last October in an attempt to reach the blockaded Gaza, arresting Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and more than 450 participants. REUTERS
