According to reports from Israeli media and testimonies from volunteers, the Israeli army plans to intercept the Global Sumud Flotilla on the night of Tuesday, September 30, approximately 180 kilometers off the coast of Gaza. The operation would involve deploying commandos from a large warship to board the more than 40 vessels of the humanitarian flotilla, capture their crews, and hold them in military prisons for 4 or 5 days before deportation. It is reported that this period could be shortened if the activists sign a document admitting illegal entry into Israel and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over Gaza—something the organizers reject as false.
Dr. Thomas Guénolé, professor of international relations and a French volunteer on board, warns that intercepting the peaceful humanitarian flotilla in international waters amounts to multiple violations of international law, including war crimes for obstructing humanitarian aid and unlawful detention of humanitarian volunteers. Guénolé announces that, if this method is employed, he will begin an indefinite hunger strike after the interception until he and his fellow volunteers are released.
The location of the possible boarding and the nonviolent nature of the flotilla reinforce warnings about the criminalization of civil aid and the repression of international solidarity with Gaza in international waters, where maritime and humanitarian law would, according to experts and activists, be violated.
