Israeli naval forces intercept Gaza-bound vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla off Cyprus, multiple outlets report. BBC News and Al Jazeera say commandos board boats in an operation aimed at stopping attempts to breach Israel’s Gaza maritime blockade. Cyprus Mail similarly describes an interception of flotilla vessels carried out off the coast of Cyprus, with the flotilla described as carrying activists and aid intended for the Gaza Strip.
PBS NewsHour reports that a live feed from the flotilla’s website shows armed Israeli soldiers boarding the boats while activists in life vests raise their hands. It also reports that soldiers destroy cameras mounted on the vessels. BBC and Al Jazeera focus on the boarding and interception itself, while not all accounts include details about equipment damage.
Across the reports, the flotilla is consistently described as attempting to deliver humanitarian supplies and challenge the blockade, with the intercept taking place near Cyprus waters and involving boarding of multiple boats.
