In international waters
Incident marks second interception in days as Israel seizes 40 vessels, detains 450 activists
tel aviv
A group of vessels attempting to deliver aid to the war-ravaged Gaza Strip was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on Wednesday, the coalition behind the convoy said, the second such interception in the past week.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is an international network of pro-Palestinian activist groups that organises civilian maritime missions aimed at breaking Israel’s blockade of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the enclave.
The flotilla’s vessels and passengers were safe, had been transferred to an Israeli port and were expected to be deported promptly, Israel’s foreign ministry said in a statement on X.
“Another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone ended in nothing,” the ministry said.
The incident was the second such event in recent days, after Israel had intercepted about 40 vessels and detained more than 450 activists in an aid convoy, the Global Sumud Flotilla, that was also attempting to deliver supplies to Gaza.
The FFC said Israeli forces “hijacked the humanitarian fleet,” adding that the “ships were illegally intercepted … Participants–humanitarians, doctors and journalists from across the world–have been taken against their will and are being held in unknown conditions.”
“The Israeli military has no legal jurisdiction over international waters,” it said. “Our flotilla poses no harm.”
The ships carried aid worth more than $110,000 in medicines, respiratory equipment and nutritional supplies intended for Gaza’s starving hospitals, it added on its Instagram account.
Gaza authorities say about 67,000 people have been killed and the Palestinian enclave devastated by Israel’s assault since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas. Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken to Gaza as hostages in the Hamas attack.
The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail last month, ferrying politicians and activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, towards Gaza, where the United Nations says famine is taking hold.
Earlier, Israeli forces intercepted and seized the Global Sumud Flotilla’s last remaining vessel, the Marinette, on Friday morning. Organizers said the Marinette was about 80 nautical miles from Gaza on Thursday night, and about 10 nautical miles from where Israel began intercepting other boats in the flotilla.
Cameras broadcasting live feeds from the boats showed armed Israeli soldiers in helmets and night vision goggles boarding the ships, while passengers huddled in life vests with their hands up after its military intercepted almost all 40 boats in the flotilla carrying aid to Gaza.
More than 450 foreign activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg were detained. A video from the Israeli foreign ministry showed Thunberg sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers.
Thousands of supporters of the flotilla held mass demonstrations in multiple cities across the globe. Demonstrators took to the streets in cities across Europe as well as in Karachi, Buenos Aires and Mexico City to protest Israel’s capturing of the activists. Italian unions have also called for a general strike on Friday.
Thunberg, 22, best known for her environmental protests, had pre-recorded a video that was released on her behalf after her ship was boarded.
“If you are watching this video, I have been abducted and taken against my will by Israeli forces,” she said. “Our humanitarian mission was non-violent and abiding by international law.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he expected the members of the flotilla to be expelled from Israel on Monday and Tuesday and sent to European capitals on charter flights.
The Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement it was taking all the people it had captured from the flotilla ashore at Ashdod, and that all were “safe and in good health”.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan criticised Israeli aggression, saying it showed Israel’s government has no intention of letting hopes for peace grow.
“I condemn the thuggery directed at the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set out to draw attention to the barbarity of children dying of hunger in Gaza and to deliver humanitarian aid to the oppressed Palestinians,” he said in a speech to officials from his AK Party in the capital Ankara.
The Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said it had launched an investigation into the detention of 24 Turkish citizens on the vessels, Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency reported. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa urged Israel to immediately release South Africans who were on the flotilla, including former President Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela.
