Hamas and the groups organizing "Freedom Flotilla II" criticized Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations Thursday, following his letter to Mediterranean Basin governments not to encourage the flotilla to get underway. The letter noted the potential for violence and said that it the attempt to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza was not a solution to the economic distress of the Hamas-controlled area, and that aid intended for Gaza should go through normal channels.
The Hamas information office issued an announcement calling the letter a "dangerous deviation" from the principles on which the UN was founded as well as a dangerous precedent. A news release of the International Committee to Break the Gaza Blockade - posted on the Hamas website - said Ban's letter authorizes "Israeli piracy" and encourages Israel to attack the flotilla as they claim it did in 2010. The release calls on the U.N. leader to protect the flotilla and its passengers.