Breaking: Spain joins Italy in sending warship to support Gaza-bound humanitarian flotilla
Italy Deploys Naval Ship to Aid Sumud Flotilla Following Drone Attack
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“States have a responsibility to ensure the safe passage of the flotilla,” said Amnesty International.
The Italian government says it has sent a naval ship to assist the Global Sumud Flotilla after it was attacked by several drones.
Organizers of the flotilla said that the boats, which are carrying humanitarian aid for the starving people of Gaza, were attacked by a swarm of 15 drones early Wednesday morning, with the convoy in the Mediterranean Sea about 600 nautical miles from the enclave.
According to Drop Site News, at least eight attacks and six explosions were reported as flash bang grenades hit at least six of the boats. One person has been injured, and two of the boats have been damaged. They also reported that an “unidentified chemical device” was dropped onto one of the boats before falling off into the water.
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In a statement issued Wednesday, Italy’s defense minister Guido Crosetto said: “Regarding the attack suffered in recent hours by the Sumud Flotilla vessels, which also include Italian citizens, carried out using drones by currently unidentified perpetrators, we can only express the strongest condemnation. In a democracy, even demonstrations and protests must be protected when they are conducted in compliance with international law and without resorting to violence.”
“To ensure assistance to the Italian citizens on the flotilla,” Crosetto said that he had “authorized the immediate intervention of the Italian Navy’s multi-purpose frigate Fasan,” which he said was “already en route to the area for possible rescue operations.”
The deployment comes after labor unions in Italy led a nationwide strike in solidarity with Gaza on Monday, with hundreds of thousands of people in 75 cities and towns rallying to support Palestinians as well as the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Hundreds of other elected representatives to the European Union also issued calls on Wednesday for their own governments to provide protection to the flotilla.
Original article continues
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- Sumud Flotilla Member Greta Thunberg ‘Absolutely Disgusted’ by Global Silence on Gaza Genocide ›
- ‘We Will Not Stop,’ Says Gaza Sumud Flotilla After Second Drone Attack ›
- Global Sumud Flotilla Set for Latest Attempt to ‘Break Israel’s Illegal Siege on Gaza’ ›
- ‘It’s Terror’: Global Sumud Flotilla Bound for Gaza Bombed ›
- Portending Another Attack, Israeli Foreign Ministry Smears Sumud Flotilla as ‘Jihadist Initiative’ ›
- Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention Backs Gaza-Bound Global Sumud Flotilla ›
- 16 Nations Warn Israel Against Attacking Gaza-Bound Global Sumud Flotilla ›
- ‘Pure Incitement’: Google Rebuked Over Israeli Sponsored Propaganda Aimed at Global Sumud Flotilla ›
Gaza aid flotilla rejects Israel’s demand to dock in Ashkelon, calls request part of blockade
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The Global Sumud Flotilla on Tuesday rejected Israel’s demand that its vessels dock in Ashkelon to transfer humanitarian aid to Gaza, describing the request as part of Tel Aviv’s long-standing blockade of the Palestinian enclave, Anadolu reports.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Monday warned that flotilla ships would not be allowed to enter what it called an “active combat zone” and accused the Palestinian resistance group Hamas of organizing the mission.
It said aid could instead be unloaded at Ashkelon Port in southern Israel and transferred to Gaza “quickly and in a coordinated manner.”
In a statement, flotilla organizers dismissed the Israeli proposal, stressing that it is not a neutral logistical request but a tactic to obstruct relief and delegitimize those who challenge the siege.
“Since May 2025, after lifting its so-called ‘total blockade,’ Israel has permitted an average of only 70 trucks per day into Gaza, while UN agencies estimate that 500 to 600 trucks are required daily to meet basic needs,” the statement said.
It cited Israel’s record of intercepting vessels, blocking convoys and restricting routes as evidence that the intent “is not to facilitate relief but to control, delay and deny it.”
READ: Drone activity monitored over Gaza-bound aid flotilla
The flotilla noted that rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned Israel’s restrictions as violations of international law and obstructions of impartial humanitarian assistance, Anadolu reports.
“Painting a peaceful humanitarian mission as a ‘breach of the law’ is a pretext for violence against civilians acting lawfully to deliver aid,” the statement continued, warning that such rhetoric “flouts international law” and places lives at risk.
The group urged governments, UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to ensure safe passage and protection for aid workers, uphold international humanitarian law by rejecting Israel’s siege, and act decisively to end what it described as “the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
It warned that “anything less risks entrenching a system of forced starvation, deprivation and collective punishment that is costing thousands of Palestinian lives.”
The flotilla includes vessels carrying humanitarian aid, international activists and parliamentarians seeking to break Israel’s blockade by directly reaching Gaza.
On Sept. 16, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza announced that the flotilla’s ships would gather near the island nation of Malta to sail together across the Mediterranean toward Gaza’s shores, without specifying a date.
It is the largest effort of its kind, aiming to reach Gaza, where 2.4 million Palestinians live under an Israeli blockade that has lasted 18 years.
Israel has previously intercepted Gaza-bound ships, seizing the vessels and deporting those on board.
UN investigators recently concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, where more than 65,300 people have been killed since October 2023.
READ: Spain warns Israel against targeting Gaza-bound aid flotilla
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UN experts urge FIFA, UEFA to suspend Israel amid ‘ongoing genocide’ in Palestine
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The UN experts on Monday called on FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel’s national football team from international competitions, saying it is a “necessary response to address the ongoing genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory,” Anadolu reports.
“The conclusion of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, that Israel is committing genocide is the latest in a growing number of international bodies affirming that genocide is being committed,” the experts said. They recalled that the International Court of Justice’s interim order of Jan. 26, 2024, reminded every country of its legal duty to act against genocide.
“Sports must reject the perception that it is business as usual,” they said. “Sporting bodies must not turn a blind eye to grave human rights violations, especially when their platforms are used to normalize injustices.”
The experts clarified that the call targets the state of Israel and not individual players, saying: “We have always maintained that individuals cannot bear the consequences of the decisions their government makes.”
They further urged FIFA to “stop legitimizing the situation arising from Israel’s unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” stressing: “There is a legal and moral imperative to take every measure possible to end the genocide in Gaza now.”
READ: UEFA: ‘Stop killing children. Stop killing civilians’
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