News- Middle East: The Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian mission to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza, says it faces the risk of an Israeli attack as its vessels advance towards the besieged Palestinian territory.

In a statement released on Monday, the coalition said the ships had converged in international waters, about 715 nautical miles from Gaza.

A video also showed the flotilla was “five days from the high-risk zone” and “seven days from Gaza.”

The coalition added that its Greek fleet is expected to join the humanitarian mission “in the coming days.” 

“The ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla are now coming together with the Greek fleet joining soon, as we head into the final weeks of our humanitarian mission to reach Gaza and break Israel’s illegal blockade,” it stated.

The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza (ICBSG) earlier reported that unidentified drones had been hovering over the flotilla, with some flying unusually close to the vessels.

ICBSG described the activity as an “unusual level of drone activity causing concerns.”

The volunteers were reportedly preparing for the possibility of Israeli interception as the ships entered the so-called “yellow zone” south of Greece, where Israeli attacks are considered increasingly likely.

Recently, dozens of ships have been sailing from North African and European ports toward Gaza as part of the humanitarian mission to break the brutal Israeli siege amid the regime's genocidal war on Gaza.

Zaher Birawi, president of the ICBSG, told Quds Press on Saturday that 44 ships had already departed Italian ports, with six more preparing to leave from Greece. The convoy, which set sail from Sicily on Friday, includes hundreds of volunteers and participants.

According to organizers, the Sumud flotilla has been described as the largest maritime mission of its kind in decades, with more than 50 vessels and delegations from at least 44 countries expected to converge on Gaza’s waters in coming weeks.

Israel has previously intercepted Gaza-bound ships, seizing the vessels and deporting those on board.

In May this year, the ship Conscience was struck by armed drones just 14 nautical miles off Malta, igniting a fire that nearly sank the vessel.

In June, the Madleen was intercepted 100 nautical miles from Gaza, deep in international waters.

On September 16, the foreign ministers of 16 countries called on the Israeli regime “to refrain from any unlawful or violent act against the flotilla, to respect international law and international humanitarian law.”

The statement also warned of consequences if the ships come under attack in international waters or if participants are detained.

Their statement stressed that “any violation of international law and human rights of the participants in the flotilla, including attacks against the vessels in international waters or illegal detention, will lead to accountability.”

Palestinians in Gaza have been battling genocide, devastation, and famine. UN investigators recently concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, where more than 65,300 people have been killed since October 2023.

Israel's blockade on humanitarian aid has left Gaza’s 2.2 million residents with dwindling access to food, clean water, and medicine, creating conditions that UN officials have described as “nightmare scale.”

Source: Press TV