Türkiye, Spain call for 'unified' international stance against Israel's illegal interception of Gaza flotilla

Türkiye and Spain’s foreign ministers spoke by phone early Thursday, stressing the “need for a unified international stance” against Israel’s illegal intervention against a Gaza aid flotilla, according to the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

"During the call, it was emphasized that the illegal intervention by Israeli forces against the Global Sumud Flotilla, sailing in international waters off Crete, endangered the lives of numerous civilians of various nationalities and violated international law," Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli wrote on the US social media company X’s platform after the call between Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

The two also "stressed the need for the international community to adopt a unified stance against the unlawful intervention," Keceli added.

The Israeli navy intercepted vessels from the flotilla late Wednesday as they headed toward Gaza to break a longstanding blockade on the enclave.

The group said Israeli forces surrounded the convoy in international waters near the Greek island of Crete, jammed communications and seized several vessels.

The flotilla, carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, aims to break Israel’s blockade and open a humanitarian corridor by sea.

The move came hours after Hebrew media reported that Israel was preparing to intercept the flotilla, which includes around 100 boats in total carrying nearly 1,000 activists from several countries.

Israel has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, leaving about 1.5 million Palestinians out of roughly 2.4 million homeless after their homes were destroyed during the war.