The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and Trade (MFAT) says Israel has confirmed that all
passengers – which includes three Zealanders – on board
ships taking part in the Gaza-bound flotilla are safe and
being transferred to processing facilities.
On Monday,
organisers
for the humanitarian flotilla trying to break an Israeli
blockade said the boats of Rana Hamida, Youssef Sammour and
Kiwi teenager Samuel Leason were illegally
intercepted.
A MFAT spokesperson said on Friday that
all vessels there were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla – a
group of boats carrying 500 people, including Swedish
climate campaigner Greta Thunberg – had been intercepted by
the Israeli Navy.
“MFAT is aware that all vessels in
the flotilla have now been intercepted by the Israeli Navy.
Israel has advised that all passengers are safe and are
being transferred to processing facilities,” the statement
said.
According to the Global Sumud Flotilla tracker
and livestream, one boat, the Marinette, was still sailing
towards Gaza on Friday evening (NZ time).
“New Zealand
has a long-standing ‘do not travel’ advisory in place for
Gaza,” MFAT said. “The advisory explicitly warns New
Zealanders against any attempt to enter Gaza by sea in
breach of Israeli Navy restrictions, including participation
in flotillas to deliver aid.
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“However, the safety of
New Zealanders is paramount. We expect any New Zealanders in
the flotilla to be treated in a manner consistent with
international law and have communicated this directly to
Israel several times.”
Sam Leason was one of the New
Zealanders taking part in the flotilla and was detained by
Israel.
On Thursday, after losing communication with
the boat, Sam’s father Adi told RNZ’s Midday Report
he was immensely proud of his son’s participation in the
flotilla.
The MFAT spokesperson said the New Zealand
Embassy in Ankara had been proactive in contact with
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on their expectations,
such as consular services.
“Given we do not have an
embassy presence in Israel, a consular partner in Tel Aviv
will provide in-person support should that be needed,” they
said.
“The New Zealand Embassy is also seeking an
opportunity to speak with the three individuals.”
It
declined to comment on individual cases for privacy
reasons.
MFAT also asked the public to refrain from
calling the consular emergency lines unless it was their own
or family member’s emergency as the high volume had impacted
their ability to provide consular assistance to other New
Zealanders in need.
RNZ previously had contact with
three of the New Zealanders on board the
flotilla.
Leason told Checkpoint last week that
boats that were part of the flotilla had been attacked by
drones.
“I think nine boats got hit by bombs and other
liquids … flammable liquids. I think 12 different things
were dropped on nine different boats. …It was red alert,
all crazy, it was a pretty scary time.”
Leason said he
was taking part in the flotilla because children were being
bombed in Gaza and the New Zealand government wasn’t doing
enough to deter Israel.
He was scared but noted it did
not compare to what Gazans were enduring on a daily
basis.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Thursday
that a New Zealand-born Melbourne-based GP named Bianca
Webb-Pullman was sailing with the flotilla.
Last
month, Youssef
Sammour told Saturday Morning that he had been involved in
two similar flotilla missions prior to being involved in
the current event.
Sammour said he was hopeful that
boats from the flotilla would make it to Gaza given how many
people were involved.
He said that he was on a 42-foot
sailing yacht with six others onboard.
Those people
included an influencer, a journalist, a medic and an MP from
Spain.
In 2019, Rana
Hamida spoke to RNZ’s Afternoons about her and her
family’s journey to New Zealand.
Hamida said she was a
Palestinian born in Syria. She moved when war broke out in
the city of
Aleppo.
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