Israel intercepts flotilla

ISRAELI naval forces have boarded most of the vessels in a flotilla attempting to break the blockade of Gaza and detained dozens on board, including European lawmakers.

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The Global Sumud Flotilla was the largest yet to try to break the blockade, and it comes at a time of growing criticism of Israel's conduct in Gaza, where its offensive has laid waste to wide swathes of territory and killed tens of thousands of people.

Activists said they hoped the number of boats would make it difficult for Israeli authorities to intercept them all but Israel's Foreign Ministry declared the operation over on Thursday afternoon.

Supporters of the flotilla took to the streets in several major cities late on Wednesday after news of the interception broke — including in Rome, Istanbul, Athens, and Buenos Aires — to condemn the Israeli operation and the ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip.