By The Journal of Turkish Weekly

Attacking Gaza aid vessel, Estelle, by the occupying force of Israeli militants was a clear violation of human rights, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said here on Sunday, IRNA reported.

The high-ranking official noted that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should pursue those who abducted the relieve workers on the board of this vessel.

'If the Zionist regime had faced a serious response from the international community when it raided the 'Mavi Marmara' aid flotilla in May 2010, this criminal regime wouldn't dare to repeat such mistake again,' Mehmanparast added.

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman urged all international organizations to adopt an immediate and practical measure and end the oppression against the people of Gaza.

The Israeli navy forces attacked and boarded the Finnish-flagged Estelle en route to Gaza strip. The vessel was carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists who were trying to break Israel's maritime blockade against the region.

Estelle, which left Naples on October 7 with some 20 people of eight different nationalities aboard, was seized by the Israeli forces and taken to the port of Ashdod on Saturday.

The Israeli regime denies the basic rights for about 1.7 million people in Gaza, including the freedom of movement and the right to decent living, work, health and education.

The Estelle was the latest of more than a dozen ships that had tried to break the blockade since 2010.

On May 31, 2010, Israeli forces attacked the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara humanitarian Freedom Flotilla in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea, killing nine Turkish nationals aboard Turkey's Mavi Marmara and injuring about 50 other activists who were part of the six-ship convoy.

Also in November 2011, a Canadian and an Irish yacht were prevented in international waters by Israeli forces from transporting pro-Palestinian activists and medical supplies to Gaza.

The blockade of the Gaza Strip refers to a land, air, and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip by Israel and Egypt.

In 2006, Hamas won the Palestinian legislative election, triggering the 2006-2007 economic sanctions against the Palestinian National Authority by Israel and the Quartet on the Middle East.

In March 2007, Hamas and Fatah formed a Palestinian authority national unity government headed by Ismail Haniya. Shortly after that, in June, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in the course of the Battle of Gaza. Following the takeover, Egypt and Israel largely sealed their border crossings with Gaza, on the grounds that Fatah had fled and was no longer providing security on the Palestinian side.

Facing mounting international calls to ease or lift their blockade in response to the Gaza flotilla raid, Egypt and Israel lessened the restrictions starting in June 2010.

 

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