The Italian Defence Ministry announced on Tuesday that the Italian navy would stop following the international aid flotilla once it reached a distance of 150 nautical miles (278 kilometers) from the shore. The Global Sumud Flotilla is a group of over 40 civilian boats, including Greta Thulberg and other climate activists, all of whom are aiming to break Israel's Gaza blockade.

The ministry stated that the Italian frigate will stop once the convoy reaches 150 nautical miles. "This has been communicated to us several times over the past few days," it said.

The statement said that the ship would issue two warnings, the second one at around 00:00 GMT when the flotilla was expected to be within the distance stated.

Maria Elena Delia said earlier on Tuesday that the activists were informed of the plans by the Italian government to stop the navy ship and have it turn back in order to avoid a "diplomatic incident" with Israel.

She claimed that the flotilla did not intend to heed Italy's warnings to stay away from the shore. Last week, Italy and Spain sent navy vessels to help the flotilla after drones with stun grenades, irritants, and other weapons attacked it in international waters near Greece. However, they had no intention of engaging militarily.

Delia warned that activists are bracing themselves for another attack in the next few hours. In a video posted on Instagram, Delia said that all signals pointed to an attack by Israel tonight.

Israel has not responded to the accusations made by the flotilla that it was responsible for last week's attack, but it is vowing to stop any boats from reaching Gaza. It argues that its blockade, as part of its fight against Hamas militants, is legal.

Guido Crosetto, the Italian Minister of Defence, has stated that he expects to intercept flotilla boats in open waters and to arrest activists.

Crosetto, on Tuesday, made a “last appeal” to the members of the flotilla to accept a proposal for a compromise to drop aid to Cyprus and avoid an confrontation with Israeli forces. The offer has been repeatedly rejected by representatives of the flotilla. Israel launched its Gaza offensive following the Hamas-led assault on Israel that took place on October 7, 2023. According to Israeli statistics, 1,200 people died and 251 were taken hostage. Gaza's health authorities claim that the Gaza offensive has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians since its beginning.

(source: Reuters)