Israeli naval forces on Wednesday intercepted a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza, ending its latest bid to break an Israeli blockade of the war-battered Palestinian territory.
The Global Sumud Flotilla — involving around 45 vessels carrying politicians and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg — left Spain last month, aiming to break Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory, where the UN says famine has set in.
Thunberg’s ship was among those the Israeli navy intercepted after Israel warned the flotilla against entering the waters it says fall under its blockade, with Israel’s foreign ministry posting footage of the 22-year-old retrieving her belongings.
“Around 8:30 pm Gaza time (1730 GMT), several vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, including the Alma, Sirius and Adara, were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli occupation forces in international waters,” the flotilla said.
“Beyond the confirmed interceptions, live streams and communications with several other vessels have been lost,” the statement added.
The Israeli foreign ministry posted on X that “several vessels of the… flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port”.
“Greta and her friends are safe and healthy,” it added.
Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian European Parliament member travelling with the flotilla, late on Wednesday on X said that “hundreds” of people “have been illegally arrested and arbitrarily detained by Israel” during the interception.
Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the war in Gaza, condemned the interception of the flotilla “in international waters” as “crime of piracy and maritime terrorism”.
Spain and Italy, which both sent naval escorts, had urged the ships to halt before entering Israel’s declared exclusion zone off Gaza, saying their frigates would not pass that mark.
After a 10-day stop in Tunisia, where organisers reported two drone attacks, the flotilla resumed its journey on September 15.
One of its main ships, the Alma, was “aggressively circled by an Israeli warship”, the group said, before another vessel, the Sirius, was subjected to “similar harassing manoeuvres”.
-‘International law violation’-
The flotilla had earlier vowed to press on with its bid to deliver aid to the devastated coastal territory despite what it called “intimidation” tactics by the Israeli military.
It said on X it remained “vigilant as we enter the area where the previous flotillas were intercepted and/or attacked”.
In Italy, which has already seen a general strike in support of the flotilla, hundreds turned out late on Wednesday in Rome in support of the flotilla.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Naples blocked trains at the southern Italian city’s main station for around an hour before being cleared by police.
Unions have called for another strike for Friday to urge stronger action from the government against Israel’s actions.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he will expel all remaining Israeli diplomats in the country over the interception.
Turkey’s foreign minister called it “an act of terrorism that constitutes the most serious violation of international law and endangers the lives of innocent civilians”.
Israel blocked similar attempts in June and July.
At around 1500 GMT on Wednesday, the flotilla said it was less than 90 nautical miles (about 170 kilometres) from the Gaza Strip.
“We sail on undeterred by Israeli threats and tactics of intimidation,” said the flotilla, which is also carrying Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela.
Spain’s digital transformation minister, Oscar Lopez, had urged the flotilla not to cross into Israel’s declared exclusion zone, extending 150 nautical miles off Gaza.
-‘Stop now’-
Italy, too, urged the activists to “stop now” after its frigate also halted at the 150-nautical-mile limit, broadcasting radio messages to the activists’ vessels asking them to abandon their mission.
The activists said Spain and Italy’s decision was an attempt to “sabotage” their endeavours.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the activists “do not represent a danger or a threat to Israel”, and hoped that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Netanyahu’s government will not represent a threat to this flotilla either”.
Speaking ahead of a European Council meeting Wednesday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on the activists to halt their voyage, saying it could jeopardise US President Donald Trump’s latest proposed Gaza peace plan, currently still under negotiation.
