aid flotilla from Turkey

Istanbul (dpa) — Two weeks after being intercepted by the Israeli navy, an international Gaza aid flotilla has again set sail from Turkey, organizers and the Turkish state news agency Anadolu said on Thursday.

The Global Sumud Flotilla departed from the Turkish port of Marmaris with more than 50 vessels carrying activists from 40 countries, organizers wrote on X.latform.

The international group aims to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, in place since 2007 with Egyptian support, and deliver aid to the war-ravaged enclave.

On April 30, the Israeli Navy intercepted more than 20 flotilla vessels in international waters off Crete and detained 175 people, according to Israeli figures. Most detainees were transferred to Greece and repatriated, while two activists taken to Israel were deported after more than a week.

The movement later regrouped in Turkey.

Several European Union states, including Germany, questioned whether the interception in international waters complied with international law. Israel has defended the operation as lawful and accused some activists of links to the Islamist militant group Hamas in Gaza.

The activists are aware of risks of interception but are committed to regroup and set sail “again and again until the illegal blockade is lifted,” said Mustafa Özbek of the Turkish rights group IHH, which backs the flotilla organization.

Turkey could again be a hub for regrouping of activists, Özbek told dpa.