The Hamas terrorist organization late on Wednesday called Israel’s interception of a Gaza-bound flotilla a “crime of piracy and maritime terrorism against civilians,” urging “all defenders of freedom in the world” to denounce it.
This interception “in international waters, as well as the arrest of activists and journalists” aboard the ships “constitutes a treacherous act of aggression… which adds to the dark record of crimes committed” by Israel, Hamas said in a statement.
Israel and Egypt impose a naval blockade on Gaza to prevent Hamas from importing weapons and the materials to manufacture them. The flotilla is carrying aid and attempting to breach that blockade.
Hamas on October 7, 2023, invaded southern Israel, massacring some 1,200 people and abducting 251 hostages, sparking the near two-year war in Gaza.
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