The forty-six vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla continue their route toward Gaza, drawing ever closer to the risky waters, the so-called interception zone, which activists plan to reach tomorrow. When they are between one hundred and one hundred and twenty nautical miles from the coast of the Strip, the vessels will receive an alert from the Italian Navy vessel that has been remotely monitoring them for the past few days. The frigate Alpino will not, in fact, cross that limit, and from that point on, the mission's fleet will be without "protection."
Meanwhile, the IDF claims to have found official documents in Gaza stating that Hamas is "directly involved in financing the Sumud flotilla." A list of PCPA (Conference for Palestinians Abroad) operatives appears, including senior Hamas officials: Zaher Birawi, head of the PCPA's Hamas branch in the UK, known as the flotilla leader for the past 15 years, and Saif Abu Kashk. The latter is the CEO of Cyber Neptune, a Spanish company that owns dozens of vessels participating in the flotilla.
“These ships are secretly Hamas-owned,” the IDF wrote in publishing the documents.
Global Sumud Flotilla: impegno per la pace e dovere di prudenza
These statements don't stop the fleet: among the diverse groups on board, the conviction to move forward remains. "We are 300 miles from Gaza; we'll be in the interception zone on Wednesday, and we'll arrive on Thursday. The mission is headed to the Strip: it's the only way to open a permanent humanitarian channel. The possibility of stopping in Cyprus or making other changes to the route has never been considered. Everyone, of course, is free to disembark," Tony La Piccirella, one of the Italians on board, cut him short. He continues: "According to international law, there are no risks. Any danger is linked to Israeli violence, which governments still allow to go beyond international law."
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, after meeting with representatives of the Global Movement to Gaza, reiterated: "We are concerned, especially given the incident that occurred years ago in that area, which killed ten Turks. I have always hoped there would be no lethal consequences. " The minister's greatest concern is "that the vessels will be intercepted, and the large number of vessels also carries the risk of accidents." He then added that he would "sign" for only arrests "without any other consequences," and explained that the Navy vessel would stop navigation before entering "a zone considered a war zone." Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced that he had asked his Israeli counterpart "to guarantee the safety of Italians, and to ensure there would be no violent action in the event of intervention."
There are currently 530 participants in the humanitarian expedition. The boats are crewed by mixed groups of 44 delegations from different countries. About forty are Italians, just under 10%. Among them are several opposition parliamentarians who were supposed to continue following the Italian Navy's alert, but will stop at Israel's first warning. "Raising the alert 120 miles from Gaza means stopping with over a hundred miles of international waters still ahead," says Maria Elena Delia, Italian spokesperson for the Global Movement to Gaza. " We acknowledge this with regret at realizing that the government is using different measures towards Israel." Regarding the meetings held in Rome in the last few hours, she explains: "The government's position has not changed. It has told us that it cannot do more than apply diplomatic pressure, asking Israel to use the minimum amount of force." She emphasizes: "There can be no mediation regarding the application of international law."
Meanwhile, the Flotilla's boats have been experiencing technical problems in the last few hours. "We had a hectic night," the activists say. "First, a communication channel was disrupted, and then two boats had technical problems." Emergency's Life Support team came to the aid of the stranded "Johnny M." The rescue team approached the boat in distress and transferred the twelve passengers to other vessels. Meanwhile, the Red Crescent, with the support of the Turkish Navy, delivered additional humanitarian aid to the Flotilla. This, the activists en route to the Strip emphasize, "demonstrates that organizations can act and that they have the infrastructure and capacity to do more."
(Unioneonline)