The Israeli Navy launched operations to intercept the path of the Global Sumud Flotilla, an activist mission heading to the Gaza Strip with the aim of challenging Israel's naval blockade and providing humanitarian aid.
In videos circulating, commandos of the Israeli navy can be seen boarding one of the mission's ships, off the coast of Cyprus. Earlier, Israel had warned participants that "they must change course and return immediately."
For its part, Global Flotilla announced that: "Two warships were spotted around the vessels in the Mediterranean. Contact was lost with one of our boats, which was being harassed by the Israeli army."
Previously, Israel had called these floats journalistic shows, after organizers had rejected calls to hand over the small amount of symbolic aid they were carrying either to Israel or to international organizations so that it could be legally imported into the Gaza Strip and distributed through official channels.
This move is part of Israel's strict policy of controlling imports into the Gaza Strip and maintaining a naval blockade of the area.
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