Belgium summons Israeli ambassador over attack on Gaza-bound Sumud flotilla

Belgium has summoned Israel's ambassador to convey its protest to the occupying regime’s “unacceptable” attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international aid fleet bound for Gaza, which included seven Belgian citizens.

"The manner in which they [boats] were boarded and the location in international waters are unacceptable, which is why I summoned the ambassador," Belgium's Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot told lawmakers in Brussels on Thursday.

In a post on social media platform X, Prevot noted that he had previously warned the Israeli ambassador that “it would in no case be acceptable for our citizens to be assimilated to terrorists.”

He added that the attack, “apparently in international waters,” is subject to “serious contestation.”

“We are in contact with the representatives of the flotilla, already for several days. All the boats have been boarded by Israeli forces,” Prevot said.

He confirmed that seven Belgian citizens, along with a Luxembourg national, were on board.

“Our diplomatic network was prepared and mobilized from the very first moments to provide consular assistance to our compatriots and the Luxembourg national as quickly and effectively as possible. Their security and health, and the possibility of a rapid return, are our priorities,” he said.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which comprises about 51 vessels, set sail from Barcelona in late August to break Israel's “illegal” siege of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid to the strip, organizers said.

The flotilla includes Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg among its participants.

Late on Wednesday, the Israeli navy began illegally intercepting flotilla vessels as they neared Gaza, detaining activists and taking them to the Israeli port of Ashdod.

Italian dockworkers block ships bound for Israeli-occupied territories amid Gaza flotilla tensions

Dockworkers in several Italian ports have stepped up actions to block shipments to Israeli-occupied territories.

Belgium’s summoning came as the Israeli attack was met with protests in Brussels that started on Wednesday evening.

Over 4,000 protesters gathered at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Brussels on Thursday afternoon, slamming the Israeli raid on the flotilla, and calling for an immediate end to the blockade of Gaza and Israel’s policy of starvation towards the Palestinians.

They also demanded action from the Belgian government and condemnation of the Israeli attack by Prevot.

Similar protests were also held in other major Belgian cities, including Liege, Charleroi, Namur, Ghent and Antwerp.

Since March 2, when Israel violated its ceasefire agreement with Hamas, the regime has sealed all border crossings into the enclave, blocking the entry of humanitarian aid and further deepening Gaza’s already dire humanitarian crisis.

The brutal blockade has pushed the famine-linked death toll to 453 people, including 150 children.

Israel has so far killed at least 66,225 Palestinians since it launched the genocidal war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.                                                     

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir