Israel has threatened to block the Global Sumud Flotilla, a monumental civilian mission seeking to break Tel Aviv's naval blockade of Gaza, after the fleet refuses to “dock and unload” the aid it is carrying for the coastal sliver’s war-hit and starving population.
On Tuesday, the Israeli foreign ministry said it would prevent the fleet from reaching the Palestinian territory after it dismissed the regime’s request to berth at the port of Ashkelon and unload its cargo, Press TV reports.
Tel Aviv claims it has to inspect the cargo before transferring it to Gaza itself.
The flotilla’s organizers, however, said the regime’s demand was part of its ongoing near-total siege of the territory.
Its record of intercepting vessels, blocking convoys, and restricting routes shows that its intent is not to facilitate relief, but to control, delay, and deny it, they added.
Meanwhile, the organizers said the regime had escalated its “dangerous” attacks on the fleet’s vessels as they were trying to reach Gaza.
They cited “explosions, heavy drone swarms, and communications jamming,” saying the escalation served as a harbinger of stronger aggression against the fleet’s 500-plus civilian volunteers.
TH
.png "Halim-&-Firni")
