Israel intercepts last Gaza Sumud flotilla vessel: What we know so far

Carrying symbolic humanitarian aid, the flotilla had pressed forward with its mission to establish a maritime corridor into Gaza.

Organisers reported that naval forces had first boarded several boats about 70 nautical miles (130 km) off Gaza’s coast, cutting communications and jamming signals as the flotilla neared the enclave. At least 13 vessels were seized on Wednesday. Activists on the boats also described tense encounters with unlit boats and drones shadowing the convoy on Wednesday. The group also said Israeli naval vessels had deliberately damaged ship communications to block distress signals and disrupt livestreams of the boarding.

Flotilla spokesperson Saif Abukeshek said people from 37 countries were taking part in the flotilla, including 30 from Spain, 22 from Italy, 21 from Turkiye and 12 from Malaysia.

The flotilla’s voyage has drawn global attention, and the detention of activists has triggered protests in cities including Rome, Buenos Aires and Istanbul. Those held included climate activist Greta Thunberg, former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, and European Parliament member Rima Hassan.

In a statement on Friday, the International Committee to Break the Siege of Gaza said some of the detainees from the Global Sumud Flotilla had begun a hunger strike after being detained by Israeli forces.

While the flotilla carried only a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, organisers said their mission was to establish a maritime corridor into Gaza, where nearly two years of war have left the population facing an acute humanitarian crisis.

How did Israel respond?

Israel’s Foreign Ministry released a video on Wednesday of a navy officer warning the flotilla that it was approaching a restricted zone and that any aid must go “through established channels”.

Israeli UN ambassador Danny Danon said activists would be deported after Yom Kippur ends on Thursday.

“Those detained would normally go through a legal process, but Israel is currently under near-total shutdown because of the Yom Kippur holiday,” Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Doha, said.

“That means courts and prisons are not functioning, creating a limbo for the activists if they are detained.”

Another ministry video showed climate activist Greta Thunberg surrounded by soldiers on a boat deck. “Several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port,” the ministry said on X, adding, “Greta and her friends are safe and healthy.”

Since 2009, Israel has formally enforced a naval blockade it says is necessary to prevent weapons from being smuggled in. Israeli authorities have also alleged that some flotilla organisers are connected to Hamas, a claim the activists strongly reject as unfounded. Israel has yet to present any evidence to prove its claims.

Has this happened before?

Vessels and convoys have attempted to break the blockade of Gaza since 2010. A few of those include:

2010 – The Mavi Marmara incident: Israeli commandos boarded the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. Clashes broke out, and 10 activists were killed, drawing global condemnation and straining Israel-Turkiye relations.

Israel apologised for “operational mistakes” in the raid in 2013. A compensation deal is still being negotiated between the two countries. Israeli soldiers and officials who took part in the attack are being tried in absentia in Turkiye for war crimes.

2011-18 – Smaller flotillas stopped: Several subsequent flotillas, including in 2011, 2015, and 2018. Israel typically diverted the ships to Ashdod port, detained activists and confiscated cargo. In 2018, activists were arrested, and some reported they were tasered and beaten.

2024 – Flotilla attempts: Activist groups continued organising flotillas, but Israel either prevented them from leaving ports abroad or intercepted them before they could approach Gaza.

2025 – The Madleen: Several flotilla missions set sail to challenge Israel’s naval blockade. One such mission in June involved the ship Madleen, which departed from Catania, Sicily, with food, medical supplies, baby formula and other essential goods. It also carried activists, including Thunberg. In the early hours of June 9, the Israeli navy intercepted and boarded the Madleen in international waters, using a chemical irritant spray. It seized the vessel and detained the 12 people on board. The activists were deported after being processed in Israel.

What else do we know about the current flotilla?

The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail in late August 2025, departing from ports in Spain and Italy before stopping in Greece and Tunisia as it made its way across the Mediterranean.

The mission began with more than 50 vessels representing at least 44 countries, carrying hundreds of international volunteers, activists and lawmakers. Among them are 24 Americans, including several military veterans, according to the organisers.

On board were symbolic yet significant amounts of humanitarian cargo, including food, medical supplies and other essentials for Gaza’s starved population.

Activists reported several hostile encounters at sea, including suspected drone attacks near Malta and Crete, which left some vessels damaged and forced them to withdraw. By the time the flotilla neared the eastern Mediterranean, 44 boats remained in the convoy.

International attention grew as the flotilla pressed on. Spain and Italy deployed naval vessels to monitor its progress and offer assistance if required, while governments across Europe and beyond urged restraint from all parties.

Have other governments responded to Israel’s arrest of flotilla activists?

Multiple countries have condemned Israel’s actions.

• Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim condemned in the “strongest terms” Israel’s “intimidation and coercion” of vessels carrying “unarmed civilians and life-saving humanitarian supplies for Gaza”. Israel, he said in a post on X, had shown “utter contempt not only for the rights of the Palestinian people but also for the conscience of the world”. At least 12 Malaysian nationals were on the boats intercepted by Israel so far.
• Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Harris said he had spoken to his counterparts of the European Union member states that were represented in the flotilla after the Israeli forces’ raid and the activists’ detention. He called the Israeli action “very concerning”, describing the flotilla as “a peaceful mission to shine a light on a horrific humanitarian catastrophe”. Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said its embassy in Tel Aviv was speaking with Israeli authorities. “Our focus now is on assisting citizens immediately impacted and their families. This will be the priority for our team over the coming hours,” it said.
• Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has expelled Israeli diplomats from the South American country in response to the detention of flotilla activists, including two Colombian nationals. In a post on X, Petro also said a free trade agreement between Colombia and Israel had been “denounced immediately”. He added, in a separate post: “Here Netanyahu demonstrates his worldwide hypocrisy and why he is a worldwide criminal who must be captured.”
• Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said on Telegram that Israel’s move to stop the boats from getting to Gaza “exposes, once again, the criminal nature of the Zionist regime”. He added, “The blockade of humanitarian aid is a tool of deliberate war, the continuation of genocide by other means, seeking to annihilate the population by starvation to complement their indiscriminate bombings.”
• Turkiye’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel’s naval interception of the flotilla. It called Israel’s actions a “terrorist” act.
• Germany, a key ally of Israel, urged Israel to guarantee the safety of all those on the flotilla. “We were in contact with the Israeli government and called on them to comply with their obligations under international law and to act with proportionality. We also called for the protection of all those on board to be guaranteed; to our knowledge, this has been done,” said a spokesperson. The German embassy in Israel said it was trying to establish contact with any German nationals involved.
• Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali al-Yahya said the country was closely watching for news of its detained nationals on board the GSF vessel, the Spectre, which was intercepted by the Israeli navy, and that his ministry “is exerting all possible efforts to ensure the safety of the citizens and is working for their immediate release”. According to the flotilla tracker, three Kuwaiti nationals took part in the aid convoy.
• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni repeated earlier criticism of the flotilla but said the country was working to ensure 22 Italians who had been detained were returned home. “Obviously, we will do everything we can to ensure these people can return to Italy as soon as possible,” she told reporters at a European Union meeting in Denmark. “I continue to believe that all this brings no benefit to the Palestinian people.”