The Gaza-bound Sumud Global Flotilla said this morning that Israeli naval forces have captured and disabled several of its ships in international waters, leaving hundreds of civilians stranded at sea as a storm approaches, Anadolu reports.

In a statement through the American social media platform X, the group said that Israeli forces “captured, boarded and systematically disabled” several ships participating in the flotilla.

“After destroying the engines and navigation systems, the military withdrew, deliberately leaving hundreds of civilians stranded on depowered and damaged ships, directly in the path of an approaching massive storm,” the statement said.

“Communications with multiple ships have been blocked, cutting off their ability to coordinate or signal for help,” the flotilla said.

The group described incident as part of a wider pattern of actions targeting civilians.

“The world is witnessing the exportation of the Israeli military’s doctrine of engineered abandonment,” the statement said, describing the incident as “a violent raid” where Israeli naval forces have “captured, boarded and systematically disabled various ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla”.

It also linked the incident to the situation in Gaza Strip, accusing Israel of imposing restrictions and prolonged hardship on the enclave. “The logic being used is identical: the Israeli state creates the conditions for death, sabotages the means of survival, and then waits for ‘nature’ or ‘circumstances’ to finish the job,” the statement added.

Late Wednesday, Israel’s Army Radio said naval forces began taking control of flotilla ships bound for Gaza, off Israel’s coast. She added that Israeli forces had so far seized seven of the flotilla’s ships near the Greek island of Crete.

The flotilla, which was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, aims to break Israel’s blockade and open a humanitarian corridor by sea. Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving about 1.5 million of the roughly 2.4 million Palestinians homeless after their homes were destroyed during the war.

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Source: prizrenpost