JERUSALEM: Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza-bound aid flotilla on Monday after it sailed from Turkey last week, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denouncing the mission as a &quot;malicious scheme&quot; intended to support Hamas. The Global Sumud Flotilla is the latest in a string of attempts by activists to breach Israel&#39;s blockade of the Palestinian territory, with the last convoy intercepted by Israeli forces only last month. &quot;Global Sumud Flotilla is under attack!&quot; the group wrote on X. It said &quot;military vessels are currently intercepting our fleet&quot; and Israeli forces &quot;boarding the first of our boats in broad daylight.&quot; A website tracking the flotilla&#39;s location showed several vessels being intercepted west of Cyprus. &quot;We demand safe passage for our legal, non-violent humanitarian mission. Governments must act now to stop these illegal acts or piracy meant to maintain Israel&#39;s genocidal siege on Gaza,&quot; they said. &quot;Normalization of the occupation&#39;s violence is a threat to us all.&quot; Netanyahu condemned the latest attempt to deliver aid to Gaza by sea. He told the commander of the interception force, &quot;I believe you are doing an extraordinary job... thwarting a malicious scheme designed to break the blockade we have imposed on Hamas terrorists in Gaza,&quot; according to a statement from his office. &quot;You are carrying this out with outstanding success... and certainly with far less fanfare than our enemies had anticipated,&quot; Netanyahu said. Earlier on Monday, the foreign ministry denounced the convoy as a provocation and vowed to prevent it from reaching Gaza. &quot;This time, two violent Turkish groups &mdash; Mavi Marmara and IHH, the latter designated as a terrorist organization &mdash; are part of the provocation,&quot; it said on X. &#39;Act of piracy&#39; Around 50 ships had departed from southwestern Turkey on Thursday. Ankara slammed the interception, saying it was a &quot;new act of piracy&quot; by Israel. Ties between Israel and Turkey have deteriorated since war on Gaza erupted. Activist Gorkem Duru, a member of the Turkey branch of the Global Sumud Flotilla group, who is not on board, told AFP that &quot;communication links with the ships were cut off&quot;. Activist Suayb Ordu, who was aboard one of the vessels, told Turkish channel NTV that the activists had &quot;no choice but to raise our hands and surrender peacefully without offering any resistance&quot;. &quot;We are not going there to fight or commit acts of violence; we are trying to prove the opposite to the world.&quot; The Israeli foreign ministry claimed the flotilla &#39;served&#39; the purposes of Hamas. Its aim was to &quot;serve Hamas, to divert attention from Hamas&#39;s refusal to disarm, and to obstruct progress on President Trump&#39;s peace plan,&quot; the ministry claimed. Under a Gaza ceasefire plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, which took effect in October, the territory is to be fully demilitarized, including through the disarmament of Hamas. Aid The Israeli ministry rejected claims that Gaza was facing aid shortages. &quot;The Gaza Strip is flooded with aid. Since October alone, more than 1.58 million tons of humanitarian aid and thousands of tons of medical supplies have entered Gaza,&quot; it said. Israel controls all entry points into Gaza, which has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. Since Israel&#39;s war on Gaza, the territory has suffered severe shortages of food, medicine and other essential supplies, with Israel at times halting aid deliveries entirely. A previous flotilla attempt was intercepted last month in international waters off Greece, with most activists expelled to Europe. But Israeli forces arrested two of them &mdash; Spanish national of Palestinian origin Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila &mdash; and brought them to Israel for questioning. The pair were detained in a prison in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon before being deported several days later.

People raise V-signs and take photos from a boat decorated with Palestinian flags as another vessel displaying solidarity signs sails past near the port in Marmaris, Turkey, on May 14, 2026. (AFP)

Middle East

Israeli forces intercept a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says was an attempt to break the blockade on Gaza.

Israel PM confirms Gaza flotilla interception, says 'thwarting malicious scheme'

ATHENS: Dozens of activists on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Crete, disembarked on Friday in the Greek island, an AFP journalist saw. Escorted by Greek coast guards, around 175 activists, the majority of them nationals of European countries, were taken in four coaches to the port of Atherinolakkos, in the southeast of the island. As they approached the port, the activists chanted &ldquo;Free Palestine,&rdquo; AFP saw. Israel&rsquo;s foreign ministry earlier said around 175 activists had been taken off more than 20 boats on Thursday. Flotilla organizers put the number at 211. The flotilla comprising more than 50 vessels set sail in recent weeks from Marseille in France, Barcelona in Spain, and Syracuse in Italy. Its aim, according to the organizers, was to break the blockade of Gaza and bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory. Israel controls all entry points to Gaza. It has been accused by the United Nations and foreign NGOs of strangling the flow of goods into the territory, causing shortages since the start of Israel&rsquo;s war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in October 2023. Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein on Friday said: &ldquo;All the flotilla activists are now in Greece except Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila.&rdquo; Several European governments with nationals among those arrested have called on Israel to free the activists and called its action a flagrant contravention of international law. But the United States backed Israeli authorities, calling the flotilla a &ldquo;stunt&rdquo; and saying it expects allies to deny port access, docking, departure, and refueling to vessels participating in the flotilla. A State Department spokesman said Washington was exploring imposing &ldquo;consequences&rdquo; on those who support the flotilla. In the summer and autumn of 2025, a first voyage by the Global Sumud Flotilla across the Mediterranean toward Gaza drew worldwide attention. The boats in that flotilla were intercepted by Israel off the coasts of Egypt and the Gaza Strip in early October. Crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were arrested and then expelled by Israel.

FILE: The Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail from Barcelona towards Gaza, in Barcelona, Spain, on August 31, 2025. Hundreds gather at Moll de la Fusta to bid farewell to the flotilla, with dozens of boats and thousands of supporters wearing kufiyas (Palestin

Europe

Dozens of activists on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Crete, disembarked on Friday in the Greek island, an AFP journalist saw.

Activists on Gaza aid flotilla detained by Israel disembark in Crete

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: More than 400 pro-Palestinian activists aboard 41 vessels in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla were detained by Israeli naval forces after a 12-hour operation, an Israeli official said Thursday, according to AFP. &ldquo;In an operation that lasted roughly 12 hours, Israeli Navy personnel foiled a large-scale incursion attempt by hundreds of individuals aboard 41 vessels that had declared their intention to breach the legal maritime security blockade on the Gaza Strip,&rdquo; the official said. The detainees, more than 400 in total, were taken to the port of Ashdod for processing, Israeli authorities confirmed. Organizers of the voyage, the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), said 443 volunteers were aboard, some transferred onto a cargo vessel before being brought ashore, Reuters reported. Netanyahu praises interceptionPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the naval operation, saying it had prevented &ldquo;dozens of vessels from entering the war zone&rdquo; and had &ldquo;repelled a campaign of delegitimisation against Israel.&rdquo; The interception took place on Yom Kippur, Israel&rsquo;s holiest day. The GSF began its voyage last month with around 45 vessels carrying politicians, activists, and rights campaigners, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. The United Nations has warned that famine has taken hold in Gaza. The Israeli navy intercepted vessels throughout Wednesday and Thursday, warning participants against entering what it described as blockade waters. Thunberg&rsquo;s boat was among those halted. Deportations to Europe plannedIsrael&rsquo;s foreign ministry said the activists would be deported to Europe, posting photos of Thunberg and others aboard a yacht. &ldquo;Hamas-Sumud passengers on their yachts are making their way safely and peacefully to Israel, where their deportation procedures to Europe will begin,&rdquo; the ministry said on X. Global ReactionsRights group Amnesty International condemned the interception as &ldquo;an act of intimidation intended to punish and silence critics of Israel&rsquo;s genocide and its unlawful blockade on Gaza.&rdquo; Turkey called the move &ldquo;an act of terrorism&rdquo; and opened an investigation after Turkish nationals were detained. Spain summoned Israel&rsquo;s top envoy in Madrid, noting 65 Spaniards were on board, while prosecutors launched a probe into possible crimes against humanity. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum demanded the &ldquo;immediate&rdquo; repatriation of six Mexican nationals, stressing they had &ldquo;committed no crime.&rdquo;&nbsp; South Africa also called for the release of all detainees, including Mandla Mandela, grandson of anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela. Israel has previously blocked flotilla attempts in June and July this year.

Pro-Palestinian activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid flotilla were detained by Israel, sparking international condemnation. Nations including Turkey, Spain, and South Africa demanded activist releases, while Israel has defended enforcing its maritime blockade.

Over 400 Gaza flotilla activists detained by Israel

A screengrab from a livestream shows Israeli navy forces aboard the Gaza-bound vessel Florida, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which organizers say was intercepted Oct. 2, 2025. (Global Sumud Flotilla via Reuters)

Israeli naval forces intercept the Global Sumud Flotilla about 70 nautical miles off Gaza, boarding Alma, Sirius, and Adara, detaining activists including Greta Thunberg and Pakistani Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. Twenty-one vessels are confirmed intercepted, 19 assumed, and four still sailing or under legal support.

Pakistan 'strongly condemns' Israel for interception of Global Sumud Flotilla 

Reuters

ROME: The international flotilla attempting to deliver aid to Gaza reported on Wednesday that several of its boats were approached by unidentified vessels, some of which were navigating without lights. The Global Sumud Flotilla stated in a Telegram post that the vessels have departed, and participants have implemented security protocols in anticipation of a possible interception. The development comes a day after the Italian defense ministry said its navy would stop following the international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza once it gets within 150 nautical miles (278 km) of the shore. The Global Sumud Flotilla, consisting of more than 40 civilian boats carrying parliamentarians, lawyers, and activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, aims to break Israel&#39;s blockade of the Palestinian enclave. Once the convoy reaches the 150 nautical miles limit, the Italian frigate accompanying it will stop, &quot;as communicated several times in recent days,&quot; the ministry said in a statement. The ship will issue two warnings to activists, with the second and final one expected at around 00:00 GMT, when the flotilla is anticipated to reach the stated distance, the statement added. Earlier on Tuesday, an Italian spokeswoman for the flotilla, Maria Elena Delia, said that activists had been informed about the government&#39;s plans to have the navy ship stop and turn back to avoid &quot;a diplomatic incident&quot; with Israel. She said the flotilla had no intention of heeding Italy&#39;s warnings not to get closer to the shore. Italy and Spain deployed navy vessels last week to assist the flotilla, after it was hit by drones armed with stun grenades and irritants in international waters off Greece, but without any intention to engage militarily. Delia said activists were bracing for another strike in the coming hours. &quot;Israel will probably attack us tonight, because all the signals point to this happening,&quot; she said in a video on Instagram. Israel did not respond to flotilla accusations that it was behind last week&#39;s attacks, but it has vowed to use any means to prevent the boats from reaching Gaza, arguing that its blockade is legal as part of its war against Hamas militants. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto has said he expects flotilla boats to be intercepted in the open sea and activists to face arrest. On Tuesday, Crosetto made a &quot;last appeal&quot; to flotilla members to accept a compromise proposal to drop aid in Cyprus and avoid a confrontation with Israeli forces. Flotilla representatives have repeatedly refused the offer. Israel began its Gaza offensive after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. The offensive has since killed over 66,000 Palestinians, Gaza health authorities say.

Asia

Vessels later departed and flotilla participants implemented security protocols in anticipation of a possible interception.

Articles tagged with "Gaza flotilla"

Israel PM confirms Gaza flotilla interception, says 'thwarting malicious scheme'

Activists on Gaza aid flotilla detained by Israel disembark in Crete

Over 400 Gaza flotilla activists detained by Israel

Pakistan 'strongly condemns' Israel for interception of Global Sumud Flotilla

Gaza flotilla says unlit vessels approached its boats, prompting security measures

Israel PM confirms Gaza flotilla interception, says 'thwarting malicious scheme'