Gaza: The Israeli navy took over an aid vessel that attempted to sail to Gaza on Tuesday despite a blockade to the occupied territory, a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said.
No one was injured when the navy took over and boarded the boat, named the Irene, and the navy was taking the boat to a port in Ashdod, the IDF spokesman said.
"The boarding of the yacht was without incident and no violence of any kind was used by neither the passengers onboard nor the Israel naval forces," the IDF said in a statement.
"Prior to boarding the yacht, the Israeli naval ships transmitted two warnings to its captain, making him aware that they are breaking both Israeli and international law. These warnings were ignored by the captain of the yacht and its passengers, who sailed further into the area under naval blockade."
The boat, named the Irene, set sail on Sunday from Cyprus with 10 passengers and crew, including Jews from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Israel.
Organisers said the boat would attempt to reach the Gaza coast and unload its cargo of donated items as an act of both "solidarity and protest," calling for the Israeli blockade of Gaza to be lifted.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry had promised on Monday it would tell the boat to dock instead at Al Arish port in northeastern Egypt near Gaza or at Israeli ports in Ashdod. If the boat refused, it would be intercepted and towed to Ashdod, said ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor.
The boat's cargo includes children's toys, musical instruments, textbooks, fishing nets, and prosthetic limbs, the organizers said. They plan to deliver the goods to the Gaza Mental Health Programme.
"Israeli government policies are not supported by all Jews," said Richard Kuper of Jews for Justice for Palestinians, one of the organisers. "We call on all governments and people around the world to speak and act against the occupation and the siege."
Police in Cyprus were not aware of the boat's departure, spokesman Michalis Katsounotos said.
Cyprus has a ban on vessels leaving the southern part of the island for Gaza. It was unclear from what part of the island the boat departed.
In May, Israeli forces intercepted an aid flotilla headed to Gaza from Turkey. Violence broke out, resulting in the deaths of nine persons.
On Wednesday, the United Nations' Human Rights Council concluded the Israeli forces committed serious violations of international law in the mid-sea interception.
The 56-page report described the circumstances of the deaths of "at least six of the passengers" as being "consistent with ... an arbitrary and summary execution."
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