Organisers of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on Thursday said Israel’s army had “kidnapped” 211 activists, including a Paris city councillor, in a raid in international waters off Greece.
American news outlet CBS News also reported that Israeli forces intercepted 22 vessels near the Greek Island of Crete, as most of the detained crew members were onboard. Helene Coron, a spokeswoman for the Global Sumud France, told an online news conference that the operation had taken place near the island of Crete, at an “unprecedented” distance from Israel.
Yasmine Scola, an activist on board the flotilla, said her colleagues had been “kidnapped” by Israel. Israel’s foreign ministry had earlier put the number of those detained at 175.