JERUSALEM, April 30 — Israel has begun taking control of aid ships bound for Gaza far from Israeli shores, Israeli army radio cited an Israeli source as saying on Wednesday.
The report did not specify the number of vessels involved or their exact location, Reuters reported.
On April 12, a second Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza sailed from the Spanish port of Barcelona, aiming to try to break the Israeli blockade.
Meanwhile, Bernama quoted Anadolu Ajansi as reporting that Turkiye and Spain’s foreign ministers spoke by phone early today, stressing the “need for a unified international stance” against Israel’s illegal intervention against the Gaza aid flotilla, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
"During the call, it was emphasised that the illegal intervention by Israeli forces against the GSF, sailing in international waters off Crete, endangered the lives of numerous civilians of various nationalities and violated international law," ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli wrote on X.
He said after the call between Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.
The two also stressed the need for the international community to adopt a unified stance against the unlawful intervention, Keceli added.
The flotilla group said Israeli forces surrounded the convoy in international waters late Wednesday near the Greek island of Crete, jammed communications and seized several vessels.
Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving about 1.5 million Palestinians out of roughly 2.4 million homeless after their homes were destroyed during the war.
