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 organisers 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 to 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 organisers 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 on Thursday around the world. Italy’s largest union called for a one-day general strike on Friday. 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.
