GAZA FLOTILLA: Israeli forces intercepted 39 boats carrying aid and foreign activists to Gaza, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, leaving only one vessel still sailing towards the Palestinian enclave, the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said on Thursday. The flotilla, carrying medicine and food to Gaza, consisted of more than 40 civilian boats carrying about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists.
Israel's Foreign Ministry said the activists were on the way to the Israeli port of Ashdod ahead of deportation. A ministry video showed Thunberg, the most prominent of the flotilla's passengers, sitting on a deck surrounded by IDF soldiers.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called Israel's interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla a "grave offense" against "global solidarity and sentiment that is aimed at relieving suffering in Gaza." Ramaphosa called on Israel to immediately release South Africans, including a grandson of Nelson Mandela, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, and other foreign nationals who were on the flotilla

Protests broke out in Italy following Israel's interception of the flotilla bound for Gaza. In Rome, dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the city's main train station. In Naples, several protesters blocked tracks at the main train station, forcing rail services to halt, news agency ANSA reported. Protests were also reported in Milan and Turin.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the expulsion of Israel's entire diplomatic delegation on Wednesday following the detention of two Colombians in the flotilla and terminated Colombia's free trade agreement with Israel. Petro's office said the government would pursue all legal avenues internationally and within Israel to secure the release of the detained citizens and seek reparations.

The Istanbul chief prosecutor's office said it had launched an investigation into the detention of 24 Turkish citizens on the vessels on charges including deprivation of liberty, seizure of transport vehicles and damage to property, Turkey's state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.

The legal team organized by the Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel said it had been granted access to the Ashdod Port, where the flotilla activists are held, and has begun providing legal advice.