Hundreds of thousands of Italians on the streets over the Gaza flotilla

(Patria) - Hundreds of thousands of Italians took to the streets across the country today, as part of a day-long general strike called by unions in support of the flotilla that was carrying aid to Gaza and whose ships were intercepted by Israel this week.

The strike caused delays and cancellations across the Italian railway network, with some disruptions to schedules at airports. Subway lines continued to operate in both Rome and Milan.

Highways or ring roads were blocked by protesters around several cities, including Rome, Milan, Bologna and Trento, and police fired tear gas near Milan to disperse those throwing stones.

About 300,000 people took part in the protest in Rome, according to organisers. They estimated that more than 100,000 people gathered in Milan, 50,000 in Naples, 25,000 in Venice and a total of 150,000 in various cities in Sicily.

Italy's right-wing government criticised the strike, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that staying away from work for Gaza was just an excuse for a longer holiday weekend.

Pro-Palestinian protests are expected to continue tomorrow with a mass rally in Rome, ending several days of protests that have sometimes turned violent and sparked clashes with police.

The Israeli navy intercepted the last ship of the Global Flotilla Sumud (GFS) today as it tried to sail to the Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid, activists said.

- Marinette, the last remaining GSF ship, was intercepted at 10:29 local time, approximately 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza - said the flotilla organisers.

According to reports, the ship had technical problems and was lagging behind the fleet.

The navy had already stopped the rest of the 42 ships of the flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea.

The GFS consisted of more than 40 civilian ships carrying about 500 people, including parliamentarians, lawyers and activists, among them Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

Their goal was to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave and deliver food and medicine to its starving residents.

The Global Food Security Initiative (IPC) in its August report determined that famine prevails in Gaza, estimating that according to data at the time, more than half a million people were starving.

The United Nations warned that this is an "unimaginable humanitarian crisis," and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation as a "living hell" and a "man-made catastrophe."