Belgians among flotilla activists intercepted by Israel
Several Belgians were on board ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla that have been intercepted by the Israeli navy. The aid convoy, made up of dozens of vessels with politicians and activists on board, set sail to deliver supplies to the Gaza Strip, where a humanitarian crisis has unfolded following Israel’s military offensive.
According to the organisation, two Belgians have been confirmed among those intercepted: human rights lawyer Alexis Deswaef and activist Latifa Gharbaoui. Catriona Graham, an Irish national living in Belgium since 2018, was also taken.
Contact has been lost with two other Belgian participants, though it is not yet confirmed if they were also intercepted. Activists reportedly threw their phones into the sea when the Israeli navy approached.
Among the passengers taken was Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Israel’s Foreign ministry said the flotilla’s passengers were transferred safely to an Israeli port. They will be expelled to Europe in the coming hours.
Belgium’s Foreign minister, Maxime Prévot, said his services had been mobilised to provide consular support. He urged Israel to respect international law, including maritime law. “We have tried to contact the Belgian participants, but this has not been possible,” his office confirmed on Thursday morning.
Prévot said on Wednesday that “all Israeli action and a priori attacks” against the flotilla were “unacceptable”. The Israeli ambassador to Belgium has not yet been summoned, though the minister’s office said this remains an option.
Greta Thunberg aboard a vessel of the Global Sumud flotilla in Barcelona on 1 September © PHOTO LLUIS GENE / AFP
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