JERUSALEM — Israeli navy soldiers boarded most of the vessels and detained dozens of activists aboard a flotilla attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza. The organizers said one boat had managed to sail on but stopped near Gaza’s coast on Thursday morning before contact with the vessel was lost.
The Global Sumud Flotilla said that 39 of their boats were intercepted — or assumed intercepted as communication with the activists was lost — by Thursday morning in an Israeli operation that began the night before.
Unlike previous sea attempts, this flotilla was the largest yet to try and break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. The activists said they believed that with the sheer number of boats, it would be more difficult for Israeli authorities to intercept them all.
The organizers remained in contact with two vessels, though one was expecting that Israeli troops would board it imminently. They also lost contact with one remaining boat whose last coordinates showed it to be only a few miles from Gaza’s shores, inside territorial waters.
Supporters of the flotilla took to the streets in several major cities late Wednesday, after news of the interception broke — including Rome, Naples, Istanbul, Athens and Buenos Aires — to decry Israeli actions and the ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip. More protests were expected Thursday around the world. Italy’s largest union called for a one-day general strike on Friday.
Watch live view from on board a flotilla of boats carrying activists from dozens of countries and a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid as it sails toward Gaza seeking to break Israel’s blockade.
The flotilla, which started out with more than 40 boats and 500 activists, was carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
It had been streaming its voyage online via live cameras aboard different boats, though connections were lost as Israeli authorities began intercepting them in international waters on Wednesday evening.
Activists and European lawmakers detained
Israeli soldiers detained and removed dozens of activists — including Greta Thunberg, former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, European parliament member Rima Hassan and others — from the flotilla.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted photos and videos of the activists, saying in a statement on X that they were “safe and in good health” and would be transferred to Israel for deportation procedures to Europe.
Earlier, live broadcasts overnight from the activists, showed Israeli boats approaching their vessels, spraying them with water canons and flashing bright lights before soldiers boarded the flotilla.
Anticipating the interceptions, activists wearing life jackets sat in circles and raised their hands in the air. Some managed to stream the moment live from their cell phones before tossing their devices into the sea.
The night-long operation that carried on as the sun rose appeared to be largely peaceful.
Governments around the world decry flotilla’s interception
Turkey, Colombia, Pakistan, Malaysia and others condemned Israel’s interception of the flotilla.
Italy and France, which had warned their activist not to continue the journey and avoid confrontation with Israel, said they were working with Israeli diplomatic authorities to ensure their citizens were transferred to land and deported home swiftly and peacefully.
Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni on Thursday slammed Italian unions for their decision to call a general strike on Friday in solidarity with the flotilla, accusing them of seeking to cause wide disruptions across the country.
“I continue to believe that all this brings no benefit to the Palestinian people. On the other hand, I understand that it will bring a lot of problems to Italian citizens,” Meloni told reporters upon her arrival in Copenhagen for an informal European Union summit.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry described the interceptions as an “act of terrorism” and a severe breach of international law in a statement late Wednesday. The ministry said it was working to ensure the immediate release of Turkish citizens and other activists detained by Israeli forces.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro announced late Wednesday that his government will expel Israel’s diplomatic delegation in the South American country over the interception. Two Colombian citizens are taking part in the flotilla.
Petro has repeatedly described Israel’s siege of Gaza as genocide and broke diplomatic ties with Israel in May 2024 over the Israel-Hamas war.
The Colombian leader also announced he will terminate his country’s free trade agreement with Israel over the flotilla’s interception, which he said was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “new international crime.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday also condemned Israel’s interception, calling it a violation of international law and a threat to civilian lives. The detention of actvists was part of Israel’s “ongoing aggression,” it said, adding that Israel’s blockade of Gaza had cause “immense suffering” for more than 2 million Palestinians in the strip.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, a strong supporter of Palestinians, said Israel’s actions in blocking the flotilla from reaching Gaza show “utter contempt not only for the rights of the Palestinian people but also for the conscience of the world.”
