Activist flotilla leaves Turkey for Gaza weeks after Israel intercepted a previous convoy

MARMARIS, Turkey (AP) — Dozens of boats carrying activists and aid for Palestinians began sailing from Turkey’s Mediterranean coast on Thursday in the latest attempt to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza — just weeks after Israel intercepted a previous flotilla and detained two activists.

More than 50 vessels were scheduled to depart from the port in Marmaris in what the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla described was the final leg of their journey to Gaza’s shores.

On April 30, Israeli forces intercepted more than 20 boats from a flotilla near the southern Greek island of Crete, initially holding about 175 activists. The incident drew protests and condemnation from several countries and raised questions about what any nation can legally do to enforce a blockade in international waters. Israeli officials said they had to act early because of the high number of boats involved.

Israel took two of the activists — Spanish-Swedish citizen of Palestinian origin Saif Abukeshek and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila — back to Israel where they were interrogated and detained for several days. The activists accused Israel of torture. Brazil and Spain condemned Israel for “kidnapping” their citizens. The two were deported from Israel on Sunday.

Organizers say the latest efforts involved a regrouped fleet following Israel’s interception, joined by additional boats. Nearly 500 activists from 45 countries were taking part.

They hope to draw renewed attention to the conditions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which was ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war. The Gaza Health Ministry said a total of 72,744 Palestinians have been killed since the war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants.

A fragile 6-month-old ceasefire in Gaza has halted the most intense fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas-led militants. Around 2 million Gaza residents are still living in ruins with shortages of food and medicine, and only limited aid entering through a single, Israeli-controlled border post.

Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of a blockade on Gaza since the militant group Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza’s population.

Last year, Israeli authorities blocked a similar attempt involving about 50 vessels and some 500 activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela and several European lawmakers.

Israel arrested, detained and later deported the participants, who claimed Israeli authorities abused them. Israeli authorities denied the accusations.

Previous efforts to breach the blockade have also failed. In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Turkish boat Mavi Marmara, which had been participating in an aid flotilla attempting to reach Gaza. Nine Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American on board were killed. The last time an activist boat succeeded in reaching the strip was in 2008.

Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.