Activists of the "Freedom Fleet" declare an open hunger strike in protest against Israel's interception of their ships
A number of activists from the "Global Freedom Fleet" have entered an open hunger strike, following the Israeli navy's interception of the fleet's ships that were heading to the Gaza Strip loaded with humanitarian aid.
This was announced by the "International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza", the organization supporting the fleet, today Friday, indicating that the strike began "from the moment of their detention".
The Israeli navy had intercepted all 42 ships of the fleet, the last of which was the "Marinette" that was intercepted this morning, Friday.
Organizers reported via social media: "The Marinette, the last remaining ship of the Global Freedom Fleet, was intercepted approximately 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza." They added in a literal statement: "Overall, during the last two days, the Israeli occupation forces illegally intercepted our 42 ships, each carrying humanitarian aid and volunteers determined to break the illegal siege imposed on Gaza."
On another note, the government of Cyprus announced the arrival of a boat from the fleet to its island. A government spokesperson told the "X" agency that the boat, which was carrying 21 foreigners, requested to dock at Larnaca port "for refueling and humanitarian reasons", without disclosing the name of the boat or confirming whether it was among the boats intercepted by Israel. The spokesperson clarified that "after registering all passengers, the Cypriot authorities provided them with basic needs and offered consular assistance".
These developments come in the wake of a wave of international condemnations and protests faced by Israel on Thursday, after it seized most of the fleet's boats and detained more than 450 activists from countries including Italy and Spain, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, where Israeli authorities announced that "the activists will be deported".
In this context, the Italian government mentioned on Thursday that "the activists are likely to be transferred to European capitals on charter flights on Monday and Tuesday". Sources also reported that four Italian parliamentarians have been released and are scheduled to travel to Rome today, Friday.
