ROME: Italy has dispatched navy ships to the southern Mediterranean to safeguard civilians travelling with an international aid flotilla bound for Gaza, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto announced.
Addressing the Senate, Crosetto said the frigate Fasan was sent Wednesday after drones reportedly dropped stun grenades on several vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) near Crete, Greece. A larger ship is on its way to replace the Fasan once it reaches the flotilla.
“The Italian government strongly condemns what has happened. Attacks on civilian vessels in open waters are completely unacceptable,” Crosetto said Thursday, adding that the mission is strictly limited to protecting Italians and other civilians on board.
The flotilla Organisers have accused Israel for the attack.
Flotilla Mission and Wider Context
The GSF consists of around 52 small vessels carrying more than 500 volunteers from over 40 countries including Pakistan. Its goal is to challenge Israel’s naval blockade, in place since 2007, and deliver food and medical aid to Palestinians.
Earlier on Thursday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, criticised Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, saying it had “crossed a line.
The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has now lasted nearly two years, claiming over 65,000 lives in Gaza – almost half women and children – and leaving around 2 million people in a humanitarian crisis.
