Israel took military measures on October 1 to intercept ships trying to deliver aid supplies to Gaza.
This move quickly attracted widespread attention from the international community, and many countries voiced their condemnation of Israel's interception.
Among the many reactionary countries, the situation in Italy is more prominent, and there have been local protests in response to the Israeli operation.
As a result of this series of events, the overall situation has attracted more attention, and the differences in positions and attitudes of all parties have gradually emerged.
Dozens of people were arrested.
On October 1, dozens of international activists, including the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who may have heard of them, tried to send aid to Gaza, and were half stopped by the Israeli navy and detained.
These people are the “Global Sumud Fleet” (GSF), their several ships in international waters about 70 nautical miles off the Gaza Strip, “safe blocked” by Israel.
After that, these activists were transferred to Israeli ports and prepared to be repatriated. The reason given by Israel was that these ships were bound for "active combat zones" and violated the legal naval blockade, so they were stopped.
In order to prove that what he did was "reasonable", the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs also released a video of the army detaining Greta Thunberg on a ship.
But the GSF did not approve of it, saying that Israel's interception was an "illegal attack" and accusing the Israeli army of deliberately hitting one of their ships and using high-pressure water cannons to hit other ships.
The GSF felt that this was not a defensive act at all, but a "naked act of despair", which meant that Israel had no other choice but to do it.
In fact, this is not the first time the GSF has tried. Israel blocked its attempts to send aid twice in June and July.
This time, they collected more than 40 ships, about 500 people, departing from Spain in August, including not only activists, but also members of the European Parliament, lawyers and people with faces.
The goal was clear: to send food and medicine directly to Gaza, but the results were unsuccessful.
To be honest, interception of ships in international waters is itself prone to controversy, not to mention legal blockades and illegal attacks. Each holds its own words, and no one obeys the other. This matter suddenly became a big deal.
Countries' responses are too different
As soon as this interception incident came out, the international reactions were so diverse that they were completely out of the same tune.
Speaking of Israel first, South African President Ramaphosa directly condemned, saying that Israel’s actions were “in violation of international law” and also violated the sovereignty of ships hanging national flags of different countries.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is even harsher, directly qualifying as "terrorist acts", demanding accountability, with no remaining.
The most extreme was Colombia President Petro, who not only scolded, but also took direct action, announcing that he would expel all Israeli diplomats and terminate the free trade agreement that has been in effect since 2020.
At the same time, it also asked Israel to release the Colombian citizens on board, which is quite a response among countries.
Looking at those who support Israel or disagree with the fleet's actions, Italian Prime Minister Meloni criticized the fleet's actions as "not beneficial to the Palestinians" and called on the fleet to stop making such attempts, which means that the fleet's actions are not only useless, but also useless. It may also add chaos.
However, the internal opinions of Italy are not united, and the Italian trade union CGIL disagrees with the government's attitude, announcing a major strike nationwide, while protesting the Israeli interception, while also criticizing the Italian government.
Saying that they had "abandoned their own workers in international waters", Italy itself was divided first.
There are also some countries that are relatively neutral or concerned about the safety of their citizens. The British Foreign Office has confirmed that some British citizens have been detained and has communicated with Israel to request a "safe solution" and put the safety of their own people first.
Diplomatic officials from France, Ireland and other countries also spoke, mainly demanding that Israel guarantee the safety of the detainees.
Irish Deputy Prime Minister Harris said at least seven Irish citizens on board, including Senator Chris Andrews, made the situation clear to officials in their country.
In addition to officials from various countries, civil protests have not stopped. People from countries such as Greece, Italy, Germany, Tunisia and Turkey have come out to protest against Israel's interception. It can be seen that this matter has attracted a lot of attention among the people, and everyone has different opinions. The differences are quite obvious.
The humanitarian crisis.
In fact, behind this incident, the core issue is the humanitarian issue in Gaza. Israel has imposed a naval blockade on Gaza for a long time, and this fleet just wants to break this blockade and send aid.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volk Turk, also spoke out, calling on Israel to "immediately lift the blockade of Gaza" and allow aid to enter unimpeded.
It also stressed that Israel must agree to establish a fair channel for aid, which clearly disagreed with Israel’s blockade policy.
Even worse, relevant UN agencies have confirmed that there has been a famine in Gaza, and the UN humanitarian chief said it was a direct result of Israel’s “systematic blocking of aid.”
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn't recognize it at all, responding that it was "a complete lie", and the two sides' views on humanitarian issues were completely opposite.
In the issue of aid distribution, Israel and the United States also advocated the distribution of materials through the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), but the United Nations directly refused to cooperate.
The reason for the foundation’s “immoral architecture” is that the United Nations does not recognize this way of distributing aid, which adds a layer of obstacle to aid entering Gaza.
Interestingly, this interception happened shortly after Trump and Netanyahu jointly launched a new Gaza peace plan in Washington.
On one hand, a new peace plan has just come out, and on the other hand, the aid flotilla has been blocked. Whether this peace plan can be implemented obviously still faces many challenges.
Moreover, the GSF's attitude was also very firm, saying that "humanitarian requirements would break the blockade and will not turn around." It seems that they will continue to try to send aid, and the conflict between Israel and the flotilla may continue in the future.
The people of Gaza are now facing famine. What they need most is the smooth flow of aid. However, all parties are arguing over issues such as blockade and aid distribution, and each has its own reasons and actions. In the end, it is the ordinary people who suffer.
If this continues, the humanitarian crisis will only become more serious, and it will be difficult to really advance the peace plan. I hope all parties can find a solution as soon as possible and stop letting the people of Gaza suffer.
conclusion
This Israeli interception of the Gaza aid flotilla not only caused Israel and the GSF to disagree, but also triggered opposition and civil protests among many countries, exposing the differences of the international community on the Gaza issue.
Behind the incident, the reality of famine in Gaza and the dilemma of blocked aid deserve more attention. The contradictions between the United Nations and Israel in aid mechanisms and blockade policies make it difficult to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.
Although a new peace plan has been launched, the interception incident has undoubtedly cast a shadow on the implementation of the plan. Although the GSF has stated that it will continue to try, if all parties fail to reach a consensus, the suffering of the people of Gaza may continue.
It is hoped that all parties can put humanity first, put aside differences, open aid channels for Gaza as soon as possible, and push the situation towards a peaceful settlement.