Katz says he has imposed ‘sanctions’ on Gaza-bound activist flotilla’s fundraisers

As a pro-Palestinian mission sails to the Gaza Strip to challenge Israel’s naval blockade, Defense Minister Israel Katz says he “imposed sanctions” on the flotilla’s fundraisers.

The flotilla, which consists of some 100 vessels and around 1,000 participants from various countries, is expected to arrive off the coast of Gaza over the weekend. The Israeli Navy is gearing up to intercept it, as it has done with past activist missions.

Katz, in a statement, says he imposed sanctions on a crowdfunding campaign launched by the Global Sumud Flotilla, which he says is “organized by the Hamas terror organization, in cooperation with additional international organizations and under the guise of a humanitarian aid flotilla.”

“The imposition of sanctions on the crowdfunding campaign constitutes a significant step in the effort to disrupt the flotilla’s sources of funding,” the statement reads, adding that it is “intended to deter donors from contributing to a terror organization.”

It is unclear what practical effect the sanctions will have. The statement notes that according to Israeli law, the defense minister can order the seizure of property of a designated terror organization or property intended to be used for terrorism.

The Navy is set to intercept the boats, and in the past has done so well before the activists were able to get close to Gaza’s coast.

Israel has dismissed previous flotillas as publicity stunts, after their organizers rejected calls to transfer the small amount of symbolic aid they had been carrying with them to Israel or international organizations to be taken into the Strip and distributed via official channels.