(MENAFN) Spanish lawmaker Irene Montero from the left-wing Podemos party has accused Israel of committing “war crimes” following an alleged naval assault on a new humanitarian flotilla en route to Gaza.

"Today, Israel hijacked the ships of the new flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. This is another war crime and a violation of international law by the genocidaires that Europe allows by becoming an accomplice to these crimes," Montero wrote on social media platform X. She added, “We know what Israel is capable of. Everyone, beware!”

According to reports, Israeli naval forces intercepted and attacked vessels belonging to the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s Thousand Madleens to Gaza convoy early Wednesday while they were in international waters, approximately 120 nautical miles (138 miles) from the Palestinian enclave.

The flotilla’s departure followed a previous Israeli operation in which naval forces seized more than 40 boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla and detained over 450 activists. Most of those detained were subsequently deported.

Israel, which continues to enforce a blockade on Gaza, has a history of intercepting aid ships, confiscating their cargo, and deporting passengers. The blockade — in place for nearly 18 years — has severely restricted access to food, medicine, and essential goods. The siege was further tightened in March when crossings were closed, exacerbating famine conditions among Gaza’s roughly 2.4 million residents.

Since October 2023, Israeli military operations have resulted in the deaths of more than 67,000 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, leaving much of Gaza uninhabitable. Meanwhile, negotiations aimed at ending the conflict, based on a 20-point peace framework announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, are reportedly taking place in Egypt.

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