Türkiye slams Israel's refusal to allow Gaza-bound aid ship to dock as 'heinous act'

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - Türkiye on Monday condemned Israel's refusal to allow the Gaza-bound aid ship Madleen to dock, saying Tel Aviv's action against the Freedom Flotilla Coalition "while it was in international waters is a clear violation of international law."

"This heinous act by the Netanyahu government, which threatens the freedom of navigation and maritime security, once again demonstrates that Israel is acting as a terror state," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The international community's "rightful" response "against the genocidal policies of Israel, which uses hunger as a weapon in Gaza and prevents the delivery of humanitarian aid," will persist, the ministry highlighted.

"Aggressive and unlawful" conduct by Israel against those who defend human dignity and universal principles, it added.

Earlier, Israeli soldiers kidnapped 12 people on board the Madleen, including 11 activists and one journalist, said the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an international NGO, which organized the mission.

Among them are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg; French-Palestinian Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan; Yasemin Acar from Germany; Baptiste Andre, Pascal Maurieras, Yanis Mhamdi, and Reva Viard from France; Thiago Avila from Brazil; Suayb Ordu from Türkiye; Sergio Toribio from Spain; Marco van Rennes from the Netherlands; and Omar Faiad, a journalist with Al Jazeera Mubasher, also from France.