Israel's navy has seized a Palestinian boat on Tuesday that tried to depart from a Gaza port, AP news agency reported Tuesday. A total of 11 Palestinians were taking part in the second humanitarian flotilla, some of them were earlier injured during the clashes with the Israeli army, the Anadolu news agency reported citing the Gaza’s National Committee for Breaking the Siege.
"Gaza has proved to the whole world that it does not accept submission despite the continuous blockade … Latest Israeli procedures of tightening up the blockade on Gaza will not force Palestinians to give up on Palestine," Hani Thawabtah, a member of the committee, said at a press conference, as quoted by Anadolu.
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The previous flotilla tried to leave the Gaza Strip on May 29. The Israeli naval forces intercepted the boat and detained all 17 Palestinians on its board. The ship’s captain is still in custody while other participants of the flotilla were released.
Commenting on the tough situation in Gaza, Israel repeatedly stated that it was necessary to stop Hamas and other militant groups operating in the self-proclaimed state from obtaining weapons or materials that could be used to produce them.
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The incident took place after on Monday Israel closed its only goods crossing with the Gaza Strip, reacting to weeks of fires at farms caused by kites and balloons carrying firebombs from the Palestinian enclave.
According to a spokesman for Israel's fire service, some 750 fires have burned 2,600 hectares, putting the damage at hundreds of thousands of dollars.