Gaza flotilla organisers have been accused of making a ‘ridiculous comparison’ after likening today’s deadly attack at a Manchester synagogue to Israel’s actions against their aid boats.
At least two people were killed when a car was driven into a crowd and a man stabbed at around 9.30am this morning on Yom Kippur – the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was ‘appalled’ by the violence, adding: ‘The fact that this has taken place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, makes it all the more horrific.’
But in response, Global Sumud Flotilla posted on X: ‘British PM Keir Starmer has condemned the synagogue attack in Crumpsall but has not mentioned the blatant attack on the #GlobalSumudFlotilla on international waters despite the #flotille having British citizens on board.’
The post sparked fury online, with critics accusing the group of using a tragic event to promote their cause.
One described it as ‘tone-deaf’, while another said the organisers had made a ‘ridiculous comparison’.
The controversy comes after Israeli forces intercepted around 40 boats heading for Gaza earlier this week. The convoy, known as the Global Sumud Flotilla, was carrying humanitarian aid and international activists.
Among them was Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, who was reportedly hauled of the boat alongside other activists as the vessel approached Palestinian territory.
In footage posted to X by the Israel Foreign Ministry, Swedish climate activist Thunberg is seen among those being detained by officials.
While sitting on the floor, Thunberg takes what appears to be a bottle of water and puts on a green frog bucket hat and a white coat as she retrieves her belongings.
‘Already several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port,’ the post said.
‘Greta and her friends are safe and healthy.’
The Sirius, Alma and Adara boats were intercepted some 70 nautical miles (80 miles) from the coast of Gaza, according to organisers who shared live positions of the flotilla.
Israel said the vessels were attempting to breach its naval blockade of Gaza and were diverted to the southern port of Ashdod.
Flotilla organizers labeled Israel’s interception of the ships ‘an illegal attack’ on humanitarians, while Israel said the activists were ‘not interested in aid, but in provocation.’
Thunberg and American actress Susan Sarandon, along with Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela, are part of the controversial convoy of around 43 boats and 500 activists and aid workers sailing on what they describe as a ‘peaceful mission’ to deliver supplies to Palestinians in Gaza.
Thunberg was deported by Israel in June when the ship she was travelling on with 11 other people, the Madleen, was stopped by the military.
At the time, Israel was accused of using drones to spray an irritant substance on Thunberg’s flotilla before boarding and detaining her and other activists.
At around 9.30pm on October 1 the flotilla said its vessels were being boarded by the Israeli navy as it approached Palestinian territory, with their cameras taken offline.
The fleet with Thunberg and several activists and European lawmakers aboard, consists of nearly 50 boats.
‘High alert. Our vessels are being illegally intercepted,’ organisers of the flotilla said.
‘Cameras are offline and vessels have been boarded by military personnel.
‘We are actively working to confirm the safety and status of all participants on board.’
The flotilla had earlier vowed to press on with its bid to deliver aid to the devastated coastal territory despite what it called ‘intimidation’ tactics by the Israeli military.
It said on X that it remained ‘vigilant as we enter the area where the previous flotillas were intercepted and/or attacked’.
