United Nations: Israel's attack on the Freedom Flotilla deepens the blockade on Gaza

The spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Thameen Al-Khaitan, stated that Israel's attack on the "Global Solidarity Fleet" deepens the "illegal blockade" imposed on the Gaza Strip.

In his written response to a question about the developments, Al-Khaitan said that "Israel's intervention against unarmed civilian ships heading to Gaza, in international waters, deepens the illegal blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip."

He emphasized that Israel, as an occupying power, is obligated to provide food and medical supplies to all residents of Gaza by all means.

Al-Khaitan pointed out that Israel must also comply with what the International Court of Justice ordered in January 2024, to accept and facilitate neutral humanitarian programs provided quickly and without obstacles.

He also called on the Israeli authorities, following their attack on the fleet, to "fully respect the rights of all detainees and ensure that the conditions of treatment and detention are fully compliant with international law, in addition to respecting all legal guarantees, including the right to immediately challenge the legality of detention."

On Wednesday evening, the Israeli Navy began an attack on the "Solidarity Fleet" heading towards the Gaza Strip, with soldiers boarding several ships to take control of them.

On Thursday, Israel announced that its army had taken control of all boats of the "Solidarity Fleet" and detained the activists on board, except for one boat which it said was "far away."

According to the latest announced figures, the "International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza" estimates that Israel seized 41 ships from the fleet.

Meanwhile, two support ships withdrew from among the 4 remaining ships, and the "Marinet" ship continues to sail towards Gaza but is still far away due to technical malfunctions.

The "Mikino" ship appeared on tracking sites within Palestinian territorial waters, 8 miles from Gaza, but its fate is still unclear.

This is the first time that nearly 50 ships have sailed together towards Gaza, carrying 532 civilian activists from more than 45 countries.

Israel has besieged the Gaza Strip for 18 years, leaving about 1.5 million Palestinians out of approximately 2.4 million in the strip homeless after the genocide destroyed their homes.

On March 2, the siege was tightened by closing all crossings leading to Gaza, preventing any food, medicine, or humanitarian aid, plunging the strip into famine despite relief trucks piling up at its borders.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, resulting in 66,225 deaths and 168,938 injuries, most of whom are children and women, and famine has claimed the lives of 455 Palestinians, including 151 children.