At 05:12 (Lisbon time), the Sumud Global Flotilla reported that “Israeli naval forces illegally intercepted and boarded the ship Morgana,” which had Miguel Duarte on board.
“Live transmissions and communications were cut off. The status of the participants and crew remains unconfirmed,” the organization alerted on the Telegram messaging platform.
“This is an illegal attack against unarmed humanitarian workers. We call on governments and international institutions to demand their immediate safety and release,” added the Sumud Global Flotilla.
Less than four hours earlier, at 01:35 today, the profile Palestina em Português on Instagram had posted a short video of Miguel Duarte.
“If you are seeing this video, it is because I was illegally captured by Israeli forces and taken to Israel against my will,” the activist said.
At least 13 vessels part of the flotilla were intercepted by the Israeli Navy, and one of them was rammed in international waters, announced the Sumud Global Flotilla today.
The coordinator of Bloco de Esquerda, Mariana Mortágua, and Portuguese actress Sofia Aparício, were also detained by Israel after the interception of their vessel, informed Bloco de Esquerda leader Joana Mortágua to Lusa news agency.
Before being detained, in a video released at 22:30 on Wednesday, Miguel Duarte emphasized that there were many Israeli boats surrounding them, “firing water cannons” and performing “dangerous maneuvers” near the ships.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian Government stated in a release that several Brazilians are among the activists detained by Israel during the interception of the flotilla vessels.
The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that among the detained is Luizianne Lins, a deputy from the Workers’ Party, led by Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The Brazilian Government stated that it is monitoring “with concern” the interception by Israel of the flotilla’s vessels.
“Brazil recalls the principle of freedom of navigation in international waters and emphasizes the peaceful nature of the flotilla,” Brazil’s foreign affairs department declared.
Despite the interceptions, the organization assured in a message released at 01:20 that 30 flotilla vessels are continuing towards Gaza and were 46 nautical miles (85 kilometers) from the Palestinian enclave’s coast.
Previously, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had reported that several ships of the Global Sumud Flotilla had been “detained without incident” and that the passengers were being transferred to an Israeli port.
