Original article: Alerta por chilenos en flotilla rumbo a Gaza: Israel secuestra nave de Carolina Eltit y se pierde contacto con barco de Chanfreau The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) is heading towards Gaza and reported a new interception of boats by Israel in international waters, raising concerns about the status of the Chilean delegation, which includes Víctor Chanfreau, Carolina Eltit, and Claudio Caiozzi. Journalist Elo Gonzáles, covering this humanitarian mission aimed at breaking the illegal siege imposed by the Zionist regime on the Palestinian enclave, announced on his social media that the boat carrying Eltit was seized during the incident. As for Chanfreau, it was indicated that contact with the boat he is on has been lost, while Caiozzi remains on course towards Gaza.
View this post on Instagram In fact, the photographer and visual artist from Chile shared a video on his Instagram account, capturing the moment of the interception carried out by Israeli forces on one of the flotilla’s boats. «Many friendly boats have fallen; 15 so far,» he reported, confirming that the vessel carrying Eltit had been seized. View this post on Instagram The footage shows the moment when both the photographer and the rest of the activists had to put on masks to protect themselves from the substances dispersed by the agents of the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).
It was emphasized that despite the aggressions, the flotilla will continue its scheduled journey and remains steadfast in its mission to break the blockade imposed by Tel Aviv and reach Gaza. «We continue on the same course towards Gaza,» he stated in the recording. Meanwhile, the Instagram account Global Movement to Gaza Mexico also released a video showing the new aggression by Israel against the GSF vessels.
They pointed out that military forces are currently intercepting our fleet and that the IOF is boarding the first of our boats in broad daylight. View this post on Instagram They demand a secure passage for their legal humanitarian mission that is non-violent. «Governments must act now to stop these illegal acts or piracy aimed at maintaining Israel’s genocidal siege on Gaza,» they affirmed.
Flotilla Denounces New Illegal Aggression and Campaign of Lies Driven by Israel From the GSF, they reported that the interception by Israeli naval warships in international waters occurred on Monday, approximately 250 nautical miles from the Gaza coast. Specifically, the boarding of the military boats occurred in broad daylight, about 80 nautical miles west of Cyprus, within the search and rescue (SAR) zone of the Mediterranean island. «This military blockade marks the beginning of another illegal aggression at sea, four days after 54 civilian boats set sail from Marmaris (Turkey) to establish a humanitarian corridor and break the illegal Israeli siege on Gaza,» they stated in a release.
They noted that by intercepting the flotilla at a perimeter of 250 nautical miles from Gaza and in the SAR zone of Cyprus, the Israeli regime «continues to demonstrate a systematic disregard for international maritime law, freedom of navigation at sea, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). » The GSF claimed that this new military interception follows a propaganda campaign to fabricate false justifications allowing the use of lethal force against them and the activists participating in the humanitarian convoy. They indicated that this disinformation strategy is spread by media controlled by the Israeli regime, including channel N12, «and amplified by their self-proclaimed ‘propaganda yacht’, filled with influencers spreading the regime’s lies.
» «This pre-established script seeks to fabricate arguments to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity against an unarmed, non-violent mission consisting of medical professionals, journalists, and humanitarians,» they denounced. They reminded that the legal team of the Flotilla formally notified the international community that participants are completely unarmed, and any violence exerted against these vessels remains the legal responsibility of the Israeli regime and the leaders of the country allowing this to occur.