JERUSALEM - The Israeli Navy has completed taking over the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), the Israeli Foreign Ministry said Thursday in a statement.

All the aid vessels have been stopped in the Mediterranean Sea, except for one that "remains at a distance" from Gaza, it said, adding that none of the vessels has succeeded in entering an active combat zone or breaching Israel's "lawful" naval blockade.

The foreign ministry warned of taking further action against the last vessel if it approaches.

All the passengers are in good health, "making their way safely to Israel, from where they will be deported to Europe," it added.

The GSF, comprising some 50 vessels with over 500 volunteers from more than 40 countries, aims to challenge Israel's naval blockade and deliver food and medical aid to Palestinians.

On Wednesday, Israel confirmed that it had detained several vessels from the GSF in the Mediterranean Sea earlier in the day and was transferring the passengers to an Israeli port, a move that met immediate and fierce global condemnation.

On Thursday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said the Israeli move was "an act of terrorism that gravely violates international law and endangers the lives of innocent civilians."

Meanwhile, the chief public prosecutors' offices in Istanbul and Ankara announced an investigation into Israel's detention of 24 Turkish citizens on board the GSF, with charges including "deprivation of liberty," "hijacking or seizure of transport vehicles," "aggravated looting," "damage to property," and "torture."

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry also condemned the Israeli move in a statement released Thursday, calling it a flagrant violation of international law, a threat to freedom of navigation, and an endangerment to civilian lives.

It said it is closely following the situation of Jordanian citizens aboard the GSF, having direct contact with some of them, and taking all necessary measures to ensure their safety, protect their rights, and secure their return to Jordan.  

Humanitarians' operation in Gaza should not be disturbed

UNITED NATIONS -- Humanitarians need to be able to work unimpeded in Gaza City, as many international organizations have been forced to suspend their work there, said a UN official on Thursday.

Israel's issuing displacement orders does not take away the parties to the conflict's obligations under international humanitarian law, since many civilians remain in Gaza City and must be protected, said UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher.

Doctors Without Borders announced on Sept 26 that it was suspending operations in Gaza City. The International Committee of the Red Cross said Wednesday it was temporarily suspending operations in the city and relocating staff to southern Gaza.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reported last week that since the war began on Oct 7, 2023, 543 aid workers had been confirmed killed in Gaza, including 304 UNRWA personnel.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the world body and its humanitarian partners continue to operate in the north, to the extent possible, and on Thursday, humanitarians successfully transferred some fuel to that area to power critical facilities that people rely on for their survival.

OCHA said that people continue to be displaced from northern Gaza. In only 10 hours on Wednesday, partners tracking population movements counted 6,700 people fleeing to the south. More than 417,000 displacements have been recorded since mid-August.

"OCHA has received reports of intense strikes in recent days in parts of Deir al-Balah, one of the places where people have been told to move," the office said. "Tents, houses and even a crowded market have been hit, with the UN Human Rights Office reporting that many of those killed appear to be civilians."

OCHA said that families in southern Gaza are squeezed into overcrowded shelters or makeshift tents along the coast. Many others are sleeping out in the open, often amid rubble. New arrivals in the south face poor sanitation, no privacy or safety, and a high risk of children being separated from their families -- all while being exposed to explosive ordnance.

"Families are selling their essential belongings to pay for transport," the office said. "Those who cannot afford it are forced to walk, which is especially hard for families with mobility challenges."

OCHA said that the United Nations and its partners have expanded medical services to support people in the south. Work also continues to rehabilitate shelters there. 

ONE Palestinian man died

JERUSALEM -- Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man on Thursday during an "attempted car-ramming and shooting" at a military checkpoint in the West Bank, the army said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said two Palestinians drove up to the Bell checkpoint near Ramallah and Beitunia and tried to run over soldiers stationed there. One of them, armed with a gun, attempted to open fire, the IDF said. Troops returned fire, killing him, while the second suspect was arrested at the scene. No Israeli soldiers were injured.

The Palestinian Health Ministry later identified the dead man as 37-year-old Mohammad Ali Shtayyeh. It said Israeli forces shot him near the village of Beit Ur al-Fawqa, west of Ramallah, and took his body.

The incident came amid rising violence in the West Bank as Israel pressed its military campaign in Gaza. On Tuesday, Israeli officials said a Palestinian carried out a car-ramming and stabbing at the Al-Khader junction near Bethlehem, injuring two teenagers before being shot dead.

Israel captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. The settlements it has built there, and its military occupation, are considered illegal under international law.