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IDF intercepts Gaza flotilla; weekend rocket fired
Israeli naval forces early this morning peacefully boarded a ship attempting to enter waters near the Gaza Strip, protesting Israeli restrictions. Over the weekend, another Gaza rocket was fired at Israel.
Israel tightly controls naval traffic around the Gaza coast, in order to prevent Hamas from importing arms and materials to boost its military capacity, and has thwarted several such attempts to do so. A year after Operation Protective Edge, Hamas is reportedly restocking its arsenal of rockets and re-constructing its complex network of attack tunnels. On Sunday morning, residents in Israeli communities near the Gaza border hurried for cover after rocket warning sirens were sounded. Although a rocket had been fired at Israel, it failed to reach its target and landed in Gaza. Nonetheless, it came with five Gaza rockets having been fired into Israel in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, Israel has consistently warned protest vessels that naval restrictions over Gaza will be maintained and in 2010, nine Turkish citizens were killed whilst violently trying to prevent Israeli commandos taking over the Gaza-bound protest ship, the Mavi Marmara.
Despite Israel’s warnings, the Marianne, a Swedish vessel set sail from a Greek port last week with the aim of reaching Gaza today. Passengers on board the ship include MK Basel Ghattas of the Joint Arab List and former Tunisian president Moncef Marzouki. In a short operation during the early hours, Israeli commandos boarded the Marianne after it refused to alter course following repeated requests. The ship was searched and was diverted to Ashdod port, where it is expected to arrive later today. Passengers will be questioned and then deported from Ben Gurion Airport. Three other vessels, said to be on route to Gaza as part of the flotilla reportedly turned back to port.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated the naval forces on a peaceful operation, saying, “This flotilla is nothing but a demonstration of the hypocrisy and lies that only help Hamas and ignore the atrocities in the region.”