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The last vessel of the 42-strong humanitarian flotilla attempting to penetrate the Israeli longstanding naval embargo on the Gaza Strip has been stopped by Israeli defense forces.

Flotilla Halt and Expulsion Measures

Based on authoritative announcements, measures are now underway to remove the approximately nearly five hundred participants currently in detention. Within those held are several Italy's MPs who are expected to return to their home country on a scheduled flight.

Last Boat Details

Footage from the previous evening showed the last vessel being crewed by multiple activists, including multiple Turkish nationals, a German participant, and an Omani crew member. The Australia's commander of the vessel declared via live stream: "We have a group of very tough Turkey's crew aboard... we're just going to proceed in our path."

As stated by a flotilla spokesperson, the ship had joined the flotilla delayed after stormy conditions obliged it to go back to dock in Barcelona.

Previous Precedent

This halt marks the nearest any unauthorized relief attempt has come to the Gaza Strip territorial waters since Israel imposed its maritime restriction in two thousand nine. The vessel was apprehended when it was calculated to be 42.5 nautical miles from the shoreline.

Previous efforts by humanitarian workers to penetrate the maritime embargo have been stopped by force. In 2010, a dozen Turkish participants were killed when Israeli military units raided the lead ship as it led an relief flotilla toward the Gaza Strip.

Additional Ship Details

An additional sailing boat called the second vessel was reported to have ventured into Palestinian maritime zone, idling 9 miles off the beach before being stopped. Nonetheless, leaders indicated they had lost communication with the vessel's personnel several hours prior.

"It could be a tracker malfunction or a equipment difficulty with the surveillance," commented a representative. "We will only have confirmation after communicating with the crew, which is not possible at present as they are being held by Israel's officials."

Present Circumstances

The held participants from the mission are being moved to Israeli territory where they will face removal processes. Some individuals on this most recent flotilla, featuring prominent participant the environmental campaigner, have been previously detained by Israeli authorities while seeking to violate the embargo.

Historically, activists held by Israeli authorities have typically not been charged with crimes and their presence has been handled as an border control concern rather than a legal infraction.