A "Freedom Flotilla" aimed at delivering aid to Gaza was blocked in Turkey on Saturday after being denied use of two of its ships, AFP reported.
The coalition of NGOs and other associations organizing the flotilla said it was unable to set sail after the West African country of Guinea-Bissau withdrew its flagged vessels.
"Sadly, Guinea-Bissau has allowed itself to become complicit in Israel's deliberate starvation, illegal siege and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza," the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said, according to AFP.
"The Guinea-Bissau International Ships Registry (GBISR), in a blatantly political move, informed the Freedom Flotilla Coalition that it had withdrawn the Guinea Bissau flag from two of the Freedom Flotilla’s ships, one of which is our cargo ship, already loaded with over 5,000 tons of life-saving aid," the statement added.
The group said the Guinea-Bissau authorities made several "extraordinary" requests for information including destinations, potential additional port calls, cargo manifest, and estimated arrival dates and times.
"Normally, national flagging authorities concern themselves only with safety and related standards on vessels bearing their flag," it said, equating it to being asked about destinations when registering a car.
At an Istanbul press conference, about 280 volunteers -- activists, lawyers and doctors -- who had hoped to join the ships shouted slogans including "Flag the flotilla", "We will sail" and "Free Palestine".
In 2010, a previous "Freedom Flotilla" set off from the southern Turkish city of Antalya, leading to a deadly episode after Israeli soldiers boarded one of the ships, the Mavi Marmara, after Islamists on board, who claimed they were carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza, refused to reverse course and dock at the Ashdod Port.
As soon as they boarded the ship, the soldiers were attacked by the Islamists with clubs and knives, forcing the troops to open fire and killing 10 of those on board.
Upon inspection it was discovered that there was no humanitarian aid whatsoever aboard the Marmara. After the raid Turkey angrily cut off ties with Israel.
As part of a reconciliation agreement with Turkey in June of 2016, Israel paid $20 million in compensation for the Marmara incident.
Later, a court in Istanbul dropped a case against four top former Israeli commanders who were being tried in absentia over the Marmara raid.