MFA Dir-Gen Bar Tal addresses international media

Israel has repeatedly offered options to unload the aid. It called on the vessels to dock at the Ashkelon Marina and unload the aid there, from where it would be transferred promptly in a coordinated manner to the Gaza Strip.
Israel also offered to unload any aid the flotilla might have at any port in a nearby country outside Israel, from which it can be transferred peacefully to Gaza.

Despite these offers, the flotilla’s organizers have consistently refused, making clear that their goal is provocation and serving Hamas rather than the genuine delivery of humanitarian aid.

Israel reaffirms that no vessel will be permitted to enter an active combat zone or breach the lawful naval blockade.

One question remains: if this is really about the aid and not about provocation, then why did the flotilla refuse the Italian government’s proposal? The answer is clear: it was never about the aid — it was always about provocation.

The Government of Israel remains prepared to engage in any constructive arrangement that enables the legal and secure transfer of aid to Gaza.