Israel ready to stop ships attempting to break blockade of Gaza

Israel ready to stop ships attempting to break blockade of Gaza

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Israeli navy is preparing to "take any necessary action" to prevent two boats carrying pro-Palestinian activists from reaching Gaza after they set sail from Turkey on Wednesday, Nov 2 with the aim of breaking Israel's sea blockade of the coastal territory.

"The navy has completed the necessary preparations in order to prevent them from reaching the Gaza Strip," it said in a statement.

"The IDF is fully prepared to guard the safety of Israel and its maritime border and to take any necessary action and prevent vessels from breaking the maritime security blockade."

The organisers of the Canadian and Irish vessels gave no advance publicity to the mission for fear of Israeli diplomatic pressure to prevent the boats leaving port, or sabotage.

The Tahrir and the Saoirse, which are also carrying a "symbolic" cargo of $30,000 worth of medicines, left Fethiye on the Turkish Mediterranean coast on Wednesday. If they are not intercepted by the Israeli navy, they expect to reach Gaza on Friday.

Among those on board the two boats are activists and journalists from nine countries as well as crew members. None are Turkish nationals. The passengers had been trained in non-violent resistance but were unarmed, according to organisers.

"The message they carry is one of unity, defiance, and hope, in spite of Israel's policies that have physically separated Palestinians from each other," Freedom Waves to Gaza, the umbrella organisation behind the mission, said in a statement.

Majd Kayyal, a Palestinian philosophy student from Haifa on board the Tahrir, said: "We want to break the siege Israel has imposed on our people. The fact that we're in international waters is already a victory for the movement. Israel's siege of Gaza is untenable and it's a moral responsibility to put an end to this injustice."

The IDF said the purpose of the mission was "to create a provocation against the state of Israel, to break the maritime security blockade on Gaza, and to undermine Israel's security", The Guardian reported.

 Top stories
Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive.
In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million).
The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot".
The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.
Partner news
---