It is coming up to 5pm in Gaza City and Tel Aviv. This blog will be closing shortly but you can find all the Guardian’s Middle East coverage here. Here is a summary of the developments on today’s blog: Israel has said it has stopped a pro-Palestinian flotilla carrying aid from reaching Gaza, after its navy intercepted most of the vessels.
However, one boat, the Mikeno, was reported to have escaped the maritime blockade. Flotilla boats were about 70 nautical miles off Gaza’s coast when they were intercepted overnight. The detained activists who were on board the Global Sumud Flotilla, including Greta Thunberg, are being taken to Israel’s Ashdod port.
Once on land, the European campaigners will be deported, Israel says. In a statement, the flotilla organisers branded the interceptions as “illegal” since they were traversing international waters. Protests have erupted in Europe following Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Demonstrations have taken place in Italy and Colombia, and reported to have happened in Brussels, Athens, Buenos Aires and Berlin. Demonstrators in Rome, Italy, chanted slogans such as “Free Palestine” and called for the resignation of the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni. Italian unions called a general strike for Friday.
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni criticised the flotilla, saying the activists’ mission and a strike called in their support in Italy would do nothing to help Palestinians. Speaking about the proposed general strike, she said: “I would have expected that at least on such an important issue they would not have called a general strike on a Friday, because a long weekend and revolution don’t go together.” Nine Irish citizens, including Sinn Féin senator Chris Andrews, were among those detained by Israeli forces.
It is believed there are 20 Irish citizens on the flotilla in total.Irish deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister Simon Harris convene a meeting of senior officials this morning to discuss the evolving situation. At least three Polish citizens were believed to be involved in the Gaza flotilla intercepted by Israel last night, including a lawmaker from the ruling Civic Coalition party, Franek Sterczewski.
“If you’re seeing this video, it means I’ve been abducted by the Israeli occupying forces on international waters during the peaceful humanitarian mission of the Global Sumud Flotilla,” he said in a pre-recorded video posted to social media. Spain’s labour minister and deputy prime minister, Yolanda Díaz, described the attack on the flotilla as “a crime against international law” and demanded that Israel immediately release those it had detained.
Writing on Bluesky, she added: “The EU needs to break off relations with Israel right now.” Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused Israel of ‘brutality’ in boarding Gaza aid flotilla that said it was sailing to help Palestinians suffering under the offensive in Gaza. “This attack by the Israeli government against civilians sailing in international waters has once again shown the madness of its genocidal leaders trying hide their crimes against humanity in Gaza” and reveals “once again Israel’s brutality”, Erdogan said in a speech to his AKP party.
A coalition group, formed of local action collectives, has called on British prime minister Keir Starmer to give diplomatic protection to Ewa Jasiewicz, one of the activists on board the Global Sumud Flotilla detained by Israel – who is a constituent of the politician. Vessels from the Global Sumud flotilla, which consisted of more than 40 civilian boats carrying about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, were boarded late on Wednesday by Israeli forces roughly 75 miles off the coast of Gaza.
Jasiewicz was one of the activists detained by Israeli forces. Israel said on Thursday (2 October) that all flotilla passengers would be deported. Like the other British nationals arrested , Jasiewicz hasn’t been offered diplomatic protection.
Now, a coalition group is calling for Starmer to give Jasiewicz, a resident of the Holborn and St Pancras constituency, for which the prime minister is the MP, protection. Signatories of the open letter includes Camden Friends of Palestine, Camden United Against Racism and the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN). A Camden Friends of Palestine spokesperson said: “We’ve seen Italy and Spain commit to sending naval ships to protect the Gaza flotilla after recent drone attacks.
Why hasn’t Starmer acted yet? “All eyes are on the flotilla. We are demanding that Starmer and the British government intervene to guarantee the flotilla’s safe passage as it attempts to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza.” This is the British activist’s second attempt to bring aid into Gaza.
She first sailed on a flotilla in 2011. Friends and family have now lost contact with Jasiewicz. She previously told The Independent that her boat, the Sumud, was confronted by...