The United States has criticised its allies for failing to stop a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that was raided and seized by Israeli naval forces earlier this week.
US Department of State spokesperson Tommy Pigott on Thursday described the flotilla as a “baseless, counterproductive stunt”.
He said Washington expects allies to "take decisive action", including denying port access, docking, departure and refuelling to vessels involved in the mission.
"This flotilla circumvents mechanisms designed to ensure humanitarian assistance is received by civilians," Pigott said in a statement.
"The United States will explore using available tools to impose consequences on those who provide support to this pro-Hamas flotilla and supports our allies’ legal actions against."
Israeli forces seized at least 21 Gaza-bound ships carrying humanitarian aid on Wednesday in international waters and detained 175 activists, in what organisers from the Global Sumud Flotilla described as an act of “piracy”.
German and Italian officials expressed “deep concern” and urged “full respect of international law” in a joint statement. Rome also called on Israel to release “unlawfully detained” Italian nationals.
The state department's comments come amid increasing rifts between the US and its European allies in light of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Last week, the US government threatened to “punish” Nato members for failing to support the war on Iran, and considered expelling Spain from the alliance due to its vocal opposition to the war, according to an internal Pentagon email.
In the same email, US officials expressed interest in recognising Argentinian territorial claims over the Falkland Islands, to punish the United Kingdom for its supposedly inadequate support for the war.
US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace”, the American-led initiative to create a new governance system in Gaza, also condemned the flotilla as “performative love-boat activism”, instead calling on concerned people to maintain “pressure on Hamas”, according to a statement on X.
In its statement on Thursday, the board claimed that it has “significantly scaled up support for the people of Gaza”, and that “food aid is reaching 3 times more people than before”.
In April this year, the Gaza Government Media Office stated that an average of 227 aid trucks have been entering the strip daily, only 37 percent of the level agreed upon under the October ceasefire agreement.
Israel has continued to tighten restrictions on aid entering Gaza despite the US-mediated truce, leading to a decline in food deliveries. Middle East Eye reported that Palestinians in Gaza are fearful of imminent famine, amid shortages of ingredients, cooking gas and fuel.
