Aid convoy is now 118 nautical miles (218 kilometers) from Gaza, organizers say
ISTANBUL
Organizers of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla said Wednesday that another Israeli naval vessel approached the convoy, marking the second such incident in less than 24 hours.
The International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza said in a post on the US social media company X that an Israeli ship moved close to Alma, the lead vessel in the flotilla.
“An Israeli ship approached Alma – the lead ship of the Sumud Flotilla,” the statement said. “It came close before it went away.”
It came hours after organizers said Israeli naval forces carried out an “intimidatory operation” against the flotilla, circling Alma and another vessel, Sirius, disabling communications, and forcing evasive maneuvers to avoid collision.
The Israeli attempts came as the aid flotilla reached 118 nautical miles from Gaza.
“We are now 118 nautical miles from Gaza – just (218 kilometers) 8 NM (nearly 15 kilometers) from where the Madleen was intercepted,” the flotilla said on its Telegram channel.
On Sunday, Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported that Israel was preparing to seize the ships, echoing previous operations against the Madleen and Handala aid vessels, which Israel intercepted in June and July.
The flotilla, loaded mainly with humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail several days ago in a bid to break the Israeli blockade.
This marks the first time in years that dozens of ships have sailed together toward Gaza, home to about 2.4 million Palestinians and under Israeli blockade for roughly 18 years.
Israel tightened the siege further on March 2 by closing all border crossings and blocking food, medicine and aid, pushing Gaza into famine despite aid trucks piling up at its borders.
The Israeli army has killed over 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.