<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Government has "strongly" recommended that the Global Flotilla "Sumud" not enter the exclusion zone designated by the Israeli Army, because "it would severely jeopardize its own security," and has warned that the Spanish Navy ship "Furor," sent by Spain to assist the humanitarian mission, will not be able to enter the zone because "it would put the physical integrity of its crew and the Flotilla itself at risk."</strong></h4> The Government's recommendations come one day after the Flotilla transporting humanitarian aid to Gaza reported its arrival in the area of international waters where Israel has previously raided other missions and denounced the presence of drones and vessels around it. The same Government sources insist that, although the flotilla's mission is "commendable and legitimate," the lives of its members "must come first." For the moment, they indicated, the maritime rescue vessel "is already within an operational radius to carry out rescue operations if necessary." For his part, the Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Service, Óscar López, lamented, in statements to RTVE, that the Navy ship could no longer escort the Flotilla. "We've gone as far as we could. We've sent the ship to that limit, and it will be there to assist them. But right now, the absolute and highest priority is the safety of those people on the Flotilla. That's why yesterday we recommended that they not cross that limit," he explained. In any case, López did not specify what the government would do if any Spanish citizen were injured in an Israeli operation. "I don't want to go into those scenarios; they don't even cross my mind," he stated. <h5><strong>Sumar and the Flotilla</strong></h5> Sumar, a minority partner in Pedro Sánchez's coalition government, warned via social media that "the Freedom Flotilla complies with international law and must complete its humanitarian mission in Gaza." Therefore, it added, "any attempt to prevent it would be illegal, which is why Spain and the EU have an obligation to protect it." Likewise, Enrique Santiago, parliamentary spokesperson for IU and a member of the Sumar group in Congress, warned via social media that "the ship 'Furor' must accompany and protect the Flotilla." "That is why it was sent, and so far, it has neither accompanied nor protected it," he denounced. "The 'exclusion zone' is not Israeli sovereignty, but Palestinian sovereignty. Gaza urgently needs humanitarian aid," he concluded. In a statement, the Flotilla's press office harshly criticized these government recommendations. "While the Israeli Navy announces that it will impose a 120-nautical-mile exclusion zone, a de facto occupation of the eastern Mediterranean, the government simply asks the crew of the Global Sumud Flotilla to abandon their mission and refuses to offer them the necessary protection to reach Gaza via a frigate whose actual distance from the Flotilla is unknown." "Accepting as normal this threat of an assault on a peaceful and humanitarian action means endorsing Israel's impunity and silencing the denunciation of genocide," it continued. "By action and omission, the Spanish government becomes an accomplice to whatever may happen," it warned. “After having supported Trump's neocolonial plan, he is once again aligning himself with the State of Israel instead of defending international law and the lives of those trying to break an illegal blockade,” it concluded. The Flotilla confirmed this Wednesday, via its Telegram channel, that the mission is already “near the area where the interceptions and/or attacks on previous flotillas took place.” It also reported that “several unidentified vessels have approached some of the flotilla's vessels, some of which had their lights off,” after which the mission participants “activated security protocols in anticipation of a possible interception.” “The vessels have already moved away from the Flotilla,” it added. It also reported that the Spanish Navy frigate “continues sailing” at a cruising speed that barely reaches half of its maximum capacity, so it will not reach the flotilla until Wednesday at noon “at best.” Separately, the Flotilla denounced this Wednesday, hours after entering the "risk zone," that "Israeli naval occupation forces launched an intimidation operation against the Global Sumud Flotilla early this morning." "During the incident, onboard communications, including our closed-circuit transmissions, were remotely disabled as the military vessel approached dangerously, forcing the captain to perform a sudden evasive maneuver to avoid a head-on collision," it stated. "These reckless and intimidating maneuvers put the participants at serious risk," it concluded. For her part, Podemos's deputy, Irene Montero, criticized these recommendations. "The ship the government sent to 'help' the Flotilla is asking them to abandon the mission! It's Israel that's violating international law by attacking them!" she wrote on social media. "The government's legal obligation is to protect this civilian humanitarian mission. Stop doing the dirty work for the genocidaires," she added. "This government's policy of pointless headlines has gone too far. For Palestine, for our comrades on the Flotilla, for everyone, I demand that the president of the government use the frigate to escort the mission, not to deter it," wrote Podemos Secretary General Iona Belarra.
