Turkey Retrieves Citizens From Gaza Flotilla Intercepted by Israeli Forces
Al-Monitor's headline confirms Turkey will fly citizens home who were on vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla, seized by Israeli forces. This isn't the first time an aid flotilla has tried to breach Israel's blockade—and certainly not the first time Israeli forces have intercepted one. Remember the Mavi Marmara in 2010? Ten activists were killed. The blockade itself, deemed collective punishment
by UN officials, has starved Gaza of essentials for years, a fact rarely highlighted with the same urgency as the 'interception.' How many times must a 'humanitarian aid mission' be deemed a threat by a military power before we question the premise? The media plays this as a diplomatic incident, not an ongoing siege. One might wonder why, after years of blockades and repeated intercept operations,
the 'surprise' of aid reaching Gaza is treated with such gravity.