(MENAFN) Italy is urging Israel to uphold the rights of its citizens after the Israeli navy intercepted a humanitarian flotilla heading to Gaza in international waters, detaining approximately ten Italians on board.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed on Wednesday that both the embassy and consulate in Tel Aviv have been actively monitoring the situation since early morning.

“About ten Italians have been detained. They will be provided with all necessary consular assistance, along with a request to the Israeli government to ensure respect for individual rights until the moment of expulsion,” Tajani stated on X, the social platform owned by a U.S. company.

He added that the Foreign Ministry's crisis coordination center, known as Farnesina, "is also at work."

According to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), Israeli naval forces confronted all nine vessels in its “Thousand Madleens to Gaza” convoy roughly 120 nautical miles (222 kilometers) off the coast, in international waters. The group said the flotilla was carrying over $110,000 USD worth of urgently needed medical aid, including medicines, respiratory equipment, and nutritional supplies for hospitals in the besieged enclave.

About 100 participants from various countries were reportedly onboard the ships, aiming to defy Israel’s nearly 18-year blockade of Gaza, which has severely restricted the flow of food, medicine, and humanitarian aid to the region.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that passengers from the intercepted vessels were being transported to an Israeli port and would be deported “promptly.”

Formed in 2010, the FFC has organized numerous missions to deliver aid to Gaza and highlight what it calls a deepening humanitarian catastrophe under Israeli siege.

The latest attempt follows a similar confrontation last week, when Israeli naval forces seized more than 40 boats attempting to breach the blockade and detained over 450 activists.

The Gaza Strip, home to nearly 2.4 million people, has faced intensified restrictions since March, when Israeli authorities closed border crossings and blocked critical shipments of food and medicine, exacerbating famine conditions.

Since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023, Israeli military operations have resulted in the deaths of over 67,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, according to local health authorities, leaving large parts of the enclave devastated and “uninhabitable.”

MENAFN08102025000045017169ID1110165999