Some 29 Italians, including MP Dario Carotenuto, of the Five Star Movement (M5S), are among those detained by Israeli forces, which intercepted the vessels carrying humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip in international waters, the Corriere della Sera newspaper stated.

“All the vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla heading to the Gaza Strip have been intercepted by the Israeli Armed Forces,” Maria Elena Delia, Italian spokesperson for the international mission, announced. Giuseppe Conte, leader of the Five Star Movement (M5S), stated in a press briefing, “We lost contact with our lawmaker hours ago. They even fired shots, apparently with non-lethal ammunition, at crew members with their hands raised. This is an armed, illegal, and intolerable kidnapping.”

In a statement from the M5S, signed by legislators Luca Pirondini and Riccardo Ricciardi, it was noted that “the government must react firmly, demanding the immediate release of the Italians” to “strongly condemn this blatant act of piracy” and “not hide behind silence, which increasingly reeks of complicity.”

The Italian Foreign Ministry stated that Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani instructed Italian Ambassador to Tel Aviv, Luca Ferrari, “to demand that all Italian citizens participating in the Gaza Flotilla be guaranteed dignified treatment, full protection, and assurances of their safety.”

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