Activists are calling for a protest outside the Presidential Palace in Nicosia at 7.00pm today, demanding that Cypriot authorities take action to protect vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla following what organisers described as an Israeli interception within Cyprus’s Search and Rescue (SAR) zone.
The Global Sumud Flotilla Cyprus said the interception took place in international waters within Cyprus’s area of maritime responsibility and called on the Cypriot government to exercise what it described as its legal mandate to ensure the safety of civilians on board. The organisation said there was an imminent risk to civilians on the vessels, which it said triggered legal duties on the Cypriot government to respond.
Organisers are also urging members of the public to email the Cypriot authorities directly.
Earlier on Monday, Israeli navy commandos boarded a vessel from the flotilla off the coast of Cyprus, according to video footage circulating online. Israel had warned participants they must “change course and return immediately.” The Global Flotilla said two warships had been spotted surrounding its vessels and that contact had been lost with one ship “which was being harassed by the Israeli military.”
Monday’s interception was the latest in a series of Israeli naval operations against the convoy. The flotilla set out from Italy in April with over 50 boats aiming to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid. In an earlier interception off Crete on April 30, Israeli forces used drones, communications jamming technology and armed raiding parties to halt vessels in the Mediterranean. Two flotilla leaders — Palestinian activist Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila — were taken to Israel and jailed following that operation.
Israel has dismissed the flotilla as a media stunt, saying organisers rejected calls to hand over their aid to Israel or international organisations for legal entry into Gaza through official channels.
Turkey labelled earlier seizures an “act of piracy,” while Spain called them “illegal” and Germany and Italy expressed “grave concern.” Amnesty International called the interceptions “brazen and unlawful.”
The Cypriot government had not commented publicly at the time of writing.
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