Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said that the flotilla of about 40 boats bound for Gaza under the guise of delivering humanitarian aid is openly backed by Hamas.
“In Hamas’s own words: ‘We call for mobilizing all means to support the Global Steadfastness Flotilla heading to Gaza,’” the ministry tweeted.
“This is not humanitarian. This is a jihadist initiative serving the terror group’s agenda,” added the post.
The flotilla, organized by anti-Israel groups and initially launched from Barcelona, departed Tunisia on Sept. 15 for Gaza after repeated delays caused by rough seas.
As of Saturday night, the boats remained far from Israel’s territorial waters, positioned southeast of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea.
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French European parliamentarian of Palestinian origin, are among those participating in the flotilla.
The aim of the self-titled “Global Sumud Flotilla”—sumud meaning “steadfastness” in Arabic—is to “to break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor, and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.”
Israel maintains that its naval blockade on Gaza, imposed on Jan. 3, 2009, is compatible with international law. It aims to prevent weapons, terrorists and money from entering or exiting the Gaza Strip by sea. The enclave has been ruled by Hamas since 2007.
In June, Israel blocked another flotilla to Gaza. Thunberg, who also participated in that attempt, was returned to her native Sweden and banned from entering Israel, along with 11 other activists, for 100 years.
