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Turkish crew member on Gaza-bound flotilla condemns illegal interception, detention

China

China

China

Turkish crew member on Gaza-bound flotilla condemns illegal interception, detention

2025-10-09 17:05 Last Updated At:18:07

A Turkish citizen who joined the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), an aid mission bound for the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, condemned Israel for intercepting the flotilla after being released from detention.

Israel has blocked several international aid flotillas from reaching Gaza in recent months. Last week, the Alma ship of the Sumud Flotilla was illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli forces.

Turkish citizen and captain Onur Murat Kolgu was one of the activists on board. He was sent back to Türkiye after being detained by Israeli forces.

He shared the experience in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), stressing the mission was completely based on humanitarian purposes.

"The Sumud Flotilla was not launched as belonging to any nation or any religious element, but as a completely civilian initiative—an initiative of civilians from all nations who felt a sense of conscience and humanitarian responsibility. On our ship, there were people from 14 different nations. The purpose of the Sumud Flotilla is to break the illegal blockade on Gaza, to open a humanitarian corridor, and at the same time to pressure governments to stop this genocide. That is our goal," Kolgu said.

Kolgu recalled the attacks by Israeli drones, saying that he barely survived.

"When we arrived in Tunisia, while we were there, our flagship, the Famil ship, was attacked by a drone. An incendiary bomb was dropped from a drone. On the second day, our ship, the second flagship Alma, was also attacked by a drone. We told them over the radio that we were not going to Israel, but to Palestine. Despite that, first they came with drones and conducted surveillance. Later, assault boats came and seized the ship," he said.

Kolgu said regardless of the interception, the mission was still successful in drawing more global attention to the humanitarian issue in Gaza.

"We must constantly keep Gaza on the agenda. This is a humanitarian issue. It is not a religious or national issue. In fact, in a way, we became a means for people to awaken, for the awakened to become more awake. In this sense, I think this mission has been fully successful," he said.

Turkish crew member on Gaza-bound flotilla condemns illegal interception, detention

Turkish crew member on Gaza-bound flotilla condemns illegal interception, detention

An explosion on Friday night at an industrial park 50 kilometers southwest of Buenos Aires sparked a fire and released toxic fumes, leaving at least 22 people injured, local media reported.

The explosion, which occurred around 21:00 local time in the city of Ezeiza, shattered windows of buildings within a four-kilometer radius, then ignited a fire and produced dense, toxic smoke, according to the media outlet Clarin.

The fire reached a height of over 20 meters and burned for more than two hours.

Firefighters were dispatched to the scene following the blast. However, due to the intensity of the flames, they were unable to extinguish the fire directly; instead, they sprayed water on surrounding buildings to prevent the blaze from spreading further.

Gaston Granados, mayor of Ezeiza, said the fire had spread to several factories and was still not under control.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire began in the warehouse of an agrochemical company.

Industrial blast near Argentinian capital Buenos Aires injures 22

Industrial blast near Argentinian capital Buenos Aires injures 22

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