Hamas chief slams Israeli seizure of Gaza-bound ship

By Nour Abu Aisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh on Monday decried Israel’s interception of an aid boat bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Haniyeh described the Israeli seizure of the Gaza-bound boat as a “naval piracy”.

“The message of Gaza supports has reached, in spite of the illegitimate Israeli practices,” the Hamas leader said, going to call on “the free people of the world to show solidarity with the Palestinian cause and Gaza Strip and bring Israel to accountability”.

On Sunday, Israeli naval forces intercepted an aid ship approaching Gaza shores as part of a two-ship flotilla organized by Freedom Flotilla Coalition to break an 11-year Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory.

By the end of 2016, nearly two million Gazans were depending on international aid in order to survive while nearly half of the families in Gaza lacked access to secure food supplies, according to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Every year for eight years now, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition has been launching a new campaign to challenge the Israeli siege, which has gutted the Gaza economy and deprived its population of many basic commodities.

On May 31, 2010, Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists in the Mavi Marmara boat convoy in international waters. The convoy, which was part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was headed for Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. Another activist later succumbed to his injuries.