Turkey condemns Israel's interception of Gaza-bound aid boat, Madleen

Turkey slammed Israel for intercepting a Gaza-bound boat carrying activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg early on Monday, describing it as a "heinous attack".

The Madleen left Italy on June 1 to raise awareness over food shortages in Gaza, which the United Nations has described as the "hungriest place on Earth", with the entire population at risk of famine.

"The intervention by Israeli forces on the 'Madleen' ship.. while sailing in international waters is a clear violation of international law," Turkey said, calling it as a "heinous attack" by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In a statement, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) said Israeli troops "forcibly intercepted" the vessel in international waters at 0102 GMT as it was approaching the Gaza Strip.

Turkey's foreign ministry said there were Turkish nationals among those on board, with FFC's website indicating there were 12 people from seven countries, including Turkey.

Two of them hold Turkish passports.

Gaza's Hamas rulers condemned the move in a statement that said the Madleen was being taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

A Turkish foreign ministry source said the boat was "expected to reach land in the evening" and that its consular officials had taken "the necessary initiatives to meet them as soon as they disembark from the ship and to ensure their release".

"We are also in contact with other countries whose citizens are on board. The families of our citizens are being regularly updated," the source added.

The ministry earlier said Israel's "aggressive and lawless attitude will not silence the voices defending human values" and that the international community's "justified reaction to Israel's genocidal policies, which use hunger as a weapon in Gaza and prevent the delivery of humanitarian aid, will continue".

The boat's interception came just over 15 years after Israeli commandos staged a botched raid on the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship carrying activists to Gaza, killing 10 civilians -- all of them Turkish nationals.

The assault sparked a years-long diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Israel, which only restored full diplomatic ties in 2022 -- in a reconciliation which has since been shattered by Israel's war on Gaza's Hamas rulers.

The war was triggered by Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

Israel has hit back with force in an ongoing military assault that Gaza's health ministry says has killed at least 54,880 people, mostly civilians.

Agence France-Presse