Spain and Italy have announced they are dispatching naval warships to assist in breaking Israel’s legal — and life saving — weapons blockade around the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

Specifically, the countries have announced their navies will escort and protect the “humanitarian flotilla,” which includes Greta Thunberg.

The flotilla’s declared mission, according to organizers, is only secondarily to deliver aid. Its primary purpose is to break Israel’s legal weapons blockade: a technical act of war.

Accordingly, these two European countries and NATO allies have actually (even if unintentionally) committed their navies to a dangerous act of war against Israel, a legal “casus belli,” (an act permitting a military response), and an overt act of military cooperation with the Hamas terror organization.

Israel is not only permitted, but required to stop all attempts to break the Gaza blockade.

As we have previously explored in depth, Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip is both legal and also an essential life saving barrier against Hamas’ access to weapons.

The San Remo Manual on International Law (Sections 67 and 95) requires that Israel enforce its blockade universally and without exception, and for good reason: in the past, at least one “humanitarian flotilla” was found to be carrying large quantities of weapons.

Israel is absolutely permitted to stop the flotilla in international waters.

A common misconception is that international law provides total impunity for any act as long as it’s done in international waters. Anyone who follows the history of naval battles (which are almost always on the “high seas”) knows this is incorrect.

This is basic common sense: if a country couldn’t strike an invading navy until the warships reached its shores, then international law would have effectively outlawed self defense.

Indeed, according to Section 10 of San Remo, even being en route to commit an act of war (such as breaching a legal blockade) opens the invading vessel to legitimate attack, which is considered self defense.

There is already a widely used method for safely and legally delivering humanitarian aid.

Israel has, and continues to, deliver record amounts of humanitarian aid into Gaza — far more than most countries have ever delivered in any modern conflict, especially into enemy territory.

We explored this topic in detail, in partnership with Ambassador Michael Oren’s publication, “Clarity.”

Not coincidentally, according to independent data, Gaza has one of the fastest growing populations in the world, a fact inconsistent with claims of deprivation. The current methods for delivering aid include life saving inspections for weapons, which would not occur if a flotilla were to successfully breach the blockade.

Israel has offered the flotilla organizers the opportunity to dock at the Israeli port of Ashkelon, where they would be permitted to unload their cargo for inspection against weapons smuggling, and then transfer to Gaza. The organizers refused, confirming that their primary mission is not aid at all, but breaching Israel’s legal weapons blockade.

Indeed, the flotilla is carrying only a minimal amount of actual aid — its organizers claim to be transporting 250 tons: roughly the average amount of aid that Israel transfers into Gaza every two hours (according to an independent, internationally peer reviewed academic study, as well as data from Israel’s COGAT office.)

For now, one can only hope that some sort of diplomatic process will prevent the Spanish and Italian warships from approaching Israel’s shores. However, if that fails, Israel will be obligated under both international law and basic morality to physically stop the approach of both the flotilla and its accompanying warships (San Remo Sections 67 and 98).

While a civilian ship can usually be disabled and boarded without damage, stopping a warship could require an actual, kinetic naval battle.

It’s not about aiding Gaza, it’s about aiding Hamas.

A widely ignored report by Israel’s Diaspora and Antisemitism Ministry indicates that this particular “humanitarian flotilla” was organized by fronts for the Hamas terror organization and the Muslim Brotherhood, and that Hamas affiliates are on board. If true, Spain and Italy are not only engaging in an act of war against Israel, but they may even be providing direct combat support to a Hamas controlled military operation.

It should go without saying, but it (tragically) needs to be repeated: October 7, 2023 was the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Modeled on Muhammad’s 7th century “Khaybar Massacre,” the October 7 atrocities included mass rape, ritual beheadings, horrific torture, and more. Now, over 700 days later, the internationally designated Hamas terror organization continues to hold Israelis hostage, under horrifying conditions.

To give the benefit of the doubt, it is possible that Spain and Italy are actually naive enough to believe they are on a humanitarian mission. Yet if their warships leave port, the countries will (knowingly or not) become the first Western powers and NATO allies to provide direct, military combat support to the perpetrators of the October 7 massacre.

Spain and Italy will also become the first European powers since the Holocaust to engage in what is effectively a military attack on the Jewish people.

It is reasonable to assume that no one actually wants to spark a kinetic war between Israel and Europe. Yet we are approaching a delicate situation that is reminiscent of the Cold War: when any mistake can trigger severe and unwanted consequences.

The only way this ends well is if Italy and Spain come to their senses, and reverse their misguided and dangerous decision.

Daniel Pomerantz is the CEO of RealityCheck, an organization dedicated to deepening public conversation through robust research studies and public speaking.