ROME — Italy said on Tuesday it would stop tracking an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza with a military vessel, leaving activists vulnerable to Israeli forces.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of more than 40 civilian boats with over 500 people including parliamentarians, lawyers and Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aims to break Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian enclave.

Once the convoy gets within 150 nautical miles (278 km) of Gaza’s shoreline, the Italian frigate accompanying it will stop, the Italian defense ministry said in a statement, adding that it expected it to happen at around 0000 GMT.

Italy has urged flotilla members to accept a compromise proposal to drop aid in a Cyprus port and avoid a confrontation with Israeli forces. Flotilla rep

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