Israel’s attack on the Sumud Flotilla will lead to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his clique being further isolated in the international arena, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş said on Thursday.
In opening remarks at Thursday's meeting of the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Committee, he said: "Netanyahu and his clique will continue to be isolated. A day will come when all of humanity will race to avoid being in the same picture – the same room – with them."
"The Grand National Assembly of Türkiye condemns to the fullest extent (Wednesday's) barbaric attacks, which violated international law and humanitarian law."
“The flotilla, which took months to prepare and involved hundreds of activists from around the world, was completely peaceful, had no political aims and set out to provide relief from the oppression, massacre and genocide experienced by the people of Gaza, as well as their lack of access to basic humanitarian supplies. Unfortunately, it was stopped in international waters last night and the ships were intercepted one by one,” Kurtulmuş indicated, saying that some of the people on the boats were detained.
“Israeli terrorist forces are interfering in international waters,” the speaker emphasized. “In international waters, every ship has the right to navigate according to all United Nations regulations, and this cannot be hindered. All actions taken are entirely against international law, humanitarian law and are barbaric attacks that cannot be justified in any way.”
He continued to say that “In the coming period, the attacks on Sumud will find the necessary response in the eyes of societies and by people in many parts of the world, especially in European and Western countries.”
Israeli naval forces attacked 21 vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla since late Wednesday and detained at least 317 activists aboard, according to the official flotilla tracker. 19 other boats are estimated to be facing Israeli attacks, while four are still on their way to Gaza.
The flotilla, loaded mainly with humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail in late August to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
It marked the first time in years that dozens of ships have sailed together toward Gaza and managed to approach the enclave this closely, which has been under Israeli blockade for roughly 18 years.
Israel tightened the siege further this March by closing all border crossings and blocking food, medicine and aid, pushing Gaza into famine despite aid trucks piling up at its borders.
The Israeli army has killed over 66,100 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave all but uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of disease.
