Netanyahu uses aid flotilla as excuse to cut short corruption court session

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shortened a court hearing held to examine his corruption charges to attend an alleged security meeting dedicated to an aid flotilla heading toward the Gaza Strip.

Reports in the Israeli media on Wednesday said that Netanyahu had requested an early exit from the legal hearing into three cases of bribery, corruption and breach of public trust.

Judges initially refused but later allowed a one-hour break, the reports said, adding that Netanyahu then held urgent security talks about the vessel convoy expected to reach the besieged Gaza soon.

Netanyahu faces serious criminal allegations that could result in a prison sentence if he is convicted.

The charges were formally brought several years ago, but he has always escaped a proper and lengthy trial, citing security concerns that he and his supporters allege are threats to the Israeli regime.

The Gaza aid fleet of ships, named Freedom Flotilla, left the Spanish port of Barcelona on April 12 before anchoring near the Italian island of Sicily. The convoy seeks to deliver relief supplies to local residents of Gaza amid tight controls imposed by the Israeli regime on the Palestinian territory.

A similar mission was met with military action on open waters last year, leading to the capture and removal of hundreds of activists.

The flotilla carries activists and volunteers from multiple countries. Organizers say they are determined to break Israel's maritime blockade on the Palestinians despite previous violent encounters.

Gaza has been under a strict ban on access to humanitarian supplies, including food, fuel and medicine, for nearly two decades. Those bans have been intensified in recent months following a two-year genocidal war by the Israeli regime on the territory which left more than 72,000 people dead and more than 172,000 injured.

Most of Gaza's inhabitants have lost their homes due to widespread destruction caused by the war of aggression that began in October 2023.

International organizations continue to warn about worsening living conditions in Gaza as people are deprived of their basic necessities because of the Israeli siege, while medical facilities have suffered extensive damage.

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