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Jerusalem: Israeli forces on Tuesday intercepted all remaining vessels from an activist flotilla attempting to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, the latest effort to highlight the grim conditions for nearly 2 million Palestinians with severe shortages of housing, food and medicine.

A live feed on the Global Sumud Flotilla website showed armed Israeli soldiers boarding the vessels as activists in life vests put their hands up. Soldiers then destroyed cameras mounted on the vessels.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called for an urgent review of Israel’s use of force after Italian activists said soldiers fired rubber bullets at vessels. Flotilla organisers said Israeli soldiers fired on five boats during the interdictions, with some damage.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said that no live ammunition was fired. In a statement late Tuesday, it added that “non-lethal means” were aimed toward the vessels as a warning, but without targeting or injuring protesters.

Israeli forces had begun stopping the flotilla around 268 kilometres from the Gaza coastline, according to the flotilla’s website. The vessels departed last week from Turkey.

Detained activists being ‘forcibly transported,’ group says

On Monday, the Israeli navy stopped some 41........

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