Spanish and Italian Naval ships deployed to escort the GAZA bound Global Sumud Flotilla after reports of drone attacks i the Mediterranean. Image credit: CNA
(The Post News) – Italy and Spain announced on Wednesday that they are dispatching naval warships to escort the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), a civilian flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. The move follows reports by flotilla organizers that their ships were attacked by drones in international waters near Crete.
The flotilla, made up of about 50 civilian vessels with activists, lawmakers, journalists, and lawyers aboard, set sail from Tunisia on Sept. 15. Its participants include Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and French European legislator Rima Hassan.
Flotilla organizers said low-flying drones flew over their vessels off the Greek island of Gavdos and released stun grenades, itching powder, and other unspecified materials. They also said they were jammed.
The Global Sumud Flotilla blamed Israel, even though Greece’s Coast Guard said there was no indication of damage or confirmation of a drone attack. No casualties were reported.
Italy Sends Naval Frigate and Spain Joins In
Italy was swift in its response. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto testified to parliament on Thursday that Rome had already sent one frigate, and another warship was being sent. “It is not a war act, it is not provocation: it is an act of humanity, which is an obligation for a state towards its citizens,” Crosetto told MPs.
Crosetto also warned the activists against attempting to breach Israel’s blockade and instead urged them to bring the aid to Cyprus. Rome proposed sending the aid to the Catholic Church’s Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to deliver in Gaza, which Israel agreed to. But the deal was rejected by the organizers of the flotilla, who said that their mission is to “break the illegal siege.”.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the flotilla was “gratuitous, dangerous, and irresponsible,” but reiterated that Italy’s naval mission was limited to humanitarian assistance.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, speaking to the UN General Assembly in New York, confirmed that Madrid would send naval ship Furor, a patrol boat with a helicopter, a drone, and a medical team.
The Spanish government is calling for this international law to be obeyed and for respect of the right of our citizens to navigate safely in the Mediterranean,” Sánchez said.
Spain’s defence ministry said the Furor set sail from Cartagena on Thursday and can evacuate up to 80 people if needed.
Israel’s Firm Stand
Israel continues its sea blockade of Gaza, which began in 2009, is legal according to international law. Its Foreign Ministry reacted in a statement on X that Jerusalem “will not permit ships to enter an active combat zone and breach a legal blockade.”
Alternatively, Israel suggested aid could be unloaded at nearby ports and moved in security to Gaza by land.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused the flotilla of Hamas ties, saying, “It is not an innocent project. Their aim is not humanitarian but political. Once you break the blockade, you can do it again and again and again.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla, “sumud”, which is perseverance in Arabic, claims its mission is to “stop the ongoing genocide in Gaza” by sailing directly around Israel’s blockade.
This is the second such flotilla effort this year. Israeli forces thwarted a similar attempt in June and deported participants, including Thunberg, from entering for 100 years.
As the flotilla still has more than 500 nautical miles to travel to Gaza, tensions are rising in the Mediterranean. It is the first time ever that two EU governments have deployed warships in connection with a Gaza-bound flotilla, turning what had been a civilian demonstration into a potential international crisis.
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