Gaza Aid Flotilla Comes under Israeli Attack in Int’l Waters
The Israeli army on Monday attacked and intercepted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian flotilla in international waters, detaining 100 activists, as the mission sailed in an attempt to break a choking blockade on the Palestinian enclave.
Live broadcasts from the flotilla showed Israeli naval forces attacking and boarding the boats one after another.
The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that army forces detained activists aboard the vessels and were transferring them to a navy ship described as a “floating prison” before transporting them to the port of Ashdod.
According to Walla news website, Israeli forces had so far detained around 100 activists from the humanitarian mission.
Video footage shared by organizers showed activists filming as Israeli forces approached and boarded the boats.
Media reports suggest the Israeli attack is expected to continue for several hours because of the distance between the flotilla’s vessels.
The flotilla’s crisis management team confirmed that Israeli soldiers had attacked and boarded several boats and that contact had been lost with 23 vessels in the aid convoy.
Under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, navigation in international waters is generally protected under the principle of freedom of navigation, with ships subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state whose flag they carry. The seizure of a foreign vessel in international waters is generally considered unlawful except in very limited circumstances that do not apply to the Global Sumud Flotilla.
The aid mission earlier said it would continue its voyage to Gaza despite the Israeli threat of attack.
“We are on high alert as we continue towards Gaza. We refuse to be intimidated,” it said in a statement.
The flotilla’s boats are carrying humanitarian and relief aid, including baby formula, and had peaceful activists on board.
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The flotilla, consisting of more than 50 boats, set sail on Thursday from the Turkish Mediterranean district of Marmaris in a renewed attempt to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, which has been in place since the summer of 2007.
The flotilla said the mission included 426 participants, including 96 Turkish activists and participants from 39 other countries, among them Germany, US, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Algeria, Indonesia, Morocco, France, South Africa, UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Egypt, Pakistan, Tunisia, Oman and New Zealand.
On April 29, Israeli forces attacked another aid mission bound for Gaza off the coast of the Greek island of Crete.
Organizers said Israeli forces intercepted boats carrying activists in international waters, detained 177 activists and mistreated them about 600 nautical miles from Gaza and only miles away from Greek territorial waters.
Israeli forces carried out a similar operation in August 2025 against another global flotilla carrying more than 500 activists from over 44 countries aboard more than 40 boats headed to Gaza.
The Israeli army has killed more than 72,000 people, mostly women and children, and injured over 172,000 in a deadly assault on Gaza since October 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Despite a ceasefire in place since last October, Israel has refused to allow the agreed quantities of humanitarian supplies into the enclave, where about 2.4 million Palestinians, including 1.5 million displaced, face severe humanitarian conditions.
Source: Anadolu Agency
