Israeli forces fire shots at Gaza aid flotilla vessels

Israeli forces opened fire on at least two vessels sailing in an aid flotilla bound for Gaza on Tuesday, according ⁠to video footage and the ⁠flotilla organisers, but there were no reports of any casualties.

Video from the flotilla’s livestream showed soldiers firing shots at two of the boats, but the type of ammunition was ⁠not clear. Another spokesperson for the flotilla said six vessels had been fired at.

The Israeli military declined to comment, referring Reuters to the foreign ministry. A spokesperson for the foreign ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters questions.

The organisers said that Israeli forces had intercepted 44 of their boats in the eastern Mediterranean and six boats were still sailing.

Israel’s foreign ministry had said on X on Monday that it “will not allow any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza”.

Speaking in ⁠Ankara ⁠late on Monday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the intervention against the “voyagers of hope” in the flotilla and called on the international community to act against Israel’s actions.

Ships from the Global Sumud Flotilla had set sail for a third time on Thursday from southern Turkey, after earlier attempts to deliver aid to Gaza were intercepted by Israel in international waters.

The group previously said there were 426 ⁠people taking part in the flotilla from 39 countries.

Israel’s foreign ministry has called on “all participants in this provocation to change course and turn back immediately”.

The United States Treasury said on Tuesday it was imposing sanctions against four people associated with what it described as the “pro-Hamas” flotilla.

Pro-Palestinian activists say Israel and the U.S. wrongly conflate their advocacy for Palestinian rights as support ⁠for Hamas ‌extremists.

Palestinians and ‌international aid bodies say supplies reaching Gaza are still ⁠insufficient, despite a ceasefire reached in October ‌that included guarantees of increased aid.

Most of Gaza’s more than 2 million people have been displaced, many now ⁠living in bombed-out homes and makeshift tents pitched on ⁠open ground, roadsides, or atop the ruins of destroyed buildings.

Israel, which ⁠controls all access to the Gaza Strip, denies withholding supplies for its residents.

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