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Press Statement : Israel’s Raid on the Global Sumud Flotilla

The Media Review Network (MRN) expresses our profound outrage and condemnation regarding the ‘Israeli’ military’s brazen attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters, on April 29, 2026.

This latest act of state-sponsored piracy, occurring hundreds of nautical miles from Israel’s maritime borders, represents a gross violation of international law, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and basic principles of human rights.

By attacking unarmed civilian vessels carrying humanitarian aid for the besieged and war ravaged people of Gaza, ‘Israel’ has demonstrated its utter contempt for legal norms and its continuing pattern of impunity.

The use of drones, communications jamming, armed speedboats, and psychological warfare tactics against 58 civilian boats with over 400 activists from multiple nations is not a security measure; it is an act of military aggression.

The fact that Israeli forces seized seven vessels near Crete, far outside any legitimate zone of control, exposes the faux self-defense narrative as a hollow pretext for thwarting solidarity with a starving and genocided population.

MRN notes with alarm the chilling echo of the 2010 Mavi Marmara massacre, and we fear for the safety of those detained, particularly given documented past abuses against flotilla participants.

We demand the immediate release of all seized vessels and detained civilians, and we call upon all governments, especially those whose citizens are aboard, to uphold their legal duty to protect civilians on the high seas.

Silence in the face of this illegal, militarised hijacking is complicity.

The international community must act decisively to ensure unimpeded access of humanitarian aid to Gaza and to hold Israel accountable for this flagrant maritime crime.

Issued by:

Dr Ahmed Haroon Jazbhay

Executive Member

Media Review Network

South Africa

Johannesburg

0848710966 (WhatsApp call only)

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