Israel seeks to seize 50 vessels from Gaza-bound flotilla

Court filing cites Hamas violations as the basis for confiscation request.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Israel moved Monday to confiscate the 50 vessels of the Sumud flotilla that the navy stopped from trying to break the sea blockade on Gaza in October.

The state attorney filed the request in the Haifa District Court based on the fact that “a significant portion of the vessels were owned by the Hamas organization” or financed by the terror group and its proxies.

Already in the days before the boats were peacefully boarded by Israeli forces and brought to the Ashdod port, the Foreign Ministry revealed internal Hamas memos found in the Gaza Strip that confirmed Hamas operatives were leaders within the flotilla’s major organizer and backer, the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA).

The PCPA was created by Hamas in 2018 and “operate[s] de facto as Hamas’ embassies” abroad, according to the ministry, and as such, Israel designates it as a terror organization, just as it does Hamas.

Hamas tried to hide its involvement in purchasing many of the small craft that took part in the flotilla by using a shell company, Cyber Neptune, whose owner is “a central activist in the PCPA organization,” the prosecution’s motion stated.

The flotilla was “unprecedented … in its scope and dimensions, with orderly planning and centralized management, all with the aim of challenging the navy and breaking the maritime blockade,” the state charged, with the movement of the vessels being “similar to the conduct of military vessels sailing in a single convoy.”

The petition was primarily based on international law, which allows countries to seize vessels attempting to breach a lawful blockade.

Israel has maintained a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip since Hamas took over the enclave in 2007 in order to prevent weapons smuggling and terror attacks.

There is also an internationally recognized duty of countries to confiscate terrorists’ assets.

During the weeks that the flotilla sailed with full media coverage, activists on board continually condemned Israel’s alleged “starvation” of the Gazan populace and trumpeted their determination to bring in humanitarian aid despite Israeli opposition.

When the authorities searched the 50 vessels after they were seized, less than five tons of aid was found in all – a quarter of one truckload of goods – leading Israeli officials to call the flotilla a publicity stunt meant to blacken the country’s reputation rather than help Gazans.

The state noted that it has information that another large-scale flotilla is being organized at this time, “and this confiscation request is also important for preventive and deterrent reasons.”