Second flotilla boat ‘may dock in Cyprus’ on Friday

A second boat from the Gaza Sumud flotilla, a group of more than 50 boats which attempted to break the State of Israel’s naval blockade and provide humanitarian aid directly to the Gaza strip, may dock in Cyprus on Friday, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said.

“Possibly late today, we will have a request from another ship to dock at one of the Republic’s ports, a request to which we will certainly respond, as was the case yesterday. We will also provide all the assistance needed, of course following all legal procedures,” he told the Cyprus News Agency.

His comment came after a boat from the flotilla had arrived at the Larnaca port on Thursday night with 21 people on board.

Of that boat, he had said earlier that he Cypriot authorities “reacted immediately and responsibly, implementing the relevant protocols following the legal procedures in force”.

“The Republic’s authorities ensured that the basic needs of those on board were met, while the necessary assistance was also provided in consular matters any in any requests from third country nationals,” he said.

That boat’s arrival remains somewhat shrouded in secrecy, however, with its name and the identities of the 21 people aboard having not been made public, and the ports authority rejected a request from the Cyprus Mail to name the boat.

Closer to Gaza, the State of Israel has begun intercepting boats sailing towards Gaza and detaining their crew, with the Gaza Sumud flotilla reporting on Friday morning that 443 people had been detained thus far, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

According to the BBC, the first boats were stopped a total of 70 nautical miles (130 kilometres) from the Gazan coast, firmly in international waters, with the Gaza Sumud flotilla describing those interceptions as “illegal”.

The State of Israel had told the boats to change course as they were “approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval blockade”.

The interception of the boats and detention of the crews sparked protests around the world, including in Cyprus, where demonstrators gathered outside the foreign ministry in Nicosia and clashed with the police, who deployed pepper spray.