Sumud Flotilla says Italy trying to 'sabotage' effort to break Gaza blockade

The Sumud Flotilla organisers on Tuesday issued a statement saying that Italy is trying to "sabotage" their effort to reach Gaza. 

The statement said that the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed  the flotilla that an Italian naval frigate shadowing the flotilla will offer participants the "opportunity" to abandon ship and return to shore before reaching the so-called "critical zone," as vessels approach Gaza. 

The Italian frigate will leave once the flotilla is 150 nautical miles (278 km) from shore. 

"Let us be absolutely clear: this is not protection. It is sabotage. It is an attempt to demoralize and fracture a peaceful humanitarian mission that governments have failed to take on themselves," the Sumud Flotilla press centre said in a statement. 

"If Italy truly sought to protect lives, it would not be acting as Israel's enabler, nor would it pressure civilians to retreat. It would use its naval fleet to ensure the safe passage of peaceful volunteers to Gaza, to enforce international law, and to deliver life-saving supplies. Anything less is complicity," the statement added. 

"Instead of using its considerable naval power to break an illegal siege, [Italy] is choosing to escort us only to the point of danger and then try to peel us away, delivering us back to shore empty-handed, as Israel continues to slaughter and starve the Palestinian people with complete impunity," the statement said.