Rome prosecutors probe detention of 2 Italians during Israeli interception of Gaza aid flotilla

The Rome Prosecutor’s Office announced on Monday that an investigation was opened into the detention of Italian nationals during Israel's interception of the Gaza aid flotilla in international waters off Greece.

The probe relates to an operation carried out on the night of April 29 off the coast of the Greek island of Crete, where Israeli forces intercepted multiple boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla attempting to reach Gaza with humanitarian aid, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

Prosecutors launched the investigation after receiving three formal complaints, including two concerning activists Thiago de Avila and Saif Abukeshek, who were reportedly taken from Italian-flagged vessels and are currently in detention.

The case also targets unidentified individuals on suspicion of kidnapping, robbery, and causing damage with the risk of shipwreck, according to the report.

Investigators are expected to submit a request for international judicial cooperation, known as a letter rogatory, to Israeli authorities as part of the inquiry.

The Global Sumud Flotilla was attacked on Thursday near Crete, 600 nautical miles from its destination of the blockade-ravaged enclave of Gaza.

The flotilla's first ships, carrying humanitarian aid, left Barcelona on April 12, while the main fleet set sail from the Italian island of Sicily on April 26, aiming to break Israel's years-long blockade of Gaza.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving the territory’s 2.4 million people on the verge of starvation.

It launched a brutal two-year offensive on Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 72,000 people, injuring over 172,000, and causing massive destruction across the besieged territory.