The Global Sumud Flotilla aid fleet wanted to break Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. The activists speak of a “violent use” by Israel.
The Israeli Navy intercepted more than 20 ships from the Gaza aid fleet, the Global Sumud Flotilla, in the Mediterranean. Numerous activists were arrested. According to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, around 175 activists will be brought “peacefully” to Israel. The “Global Sumud Flotilla”, on the other hand, spoke of “violent use in international waters”. Marines boarded several boats and “systematically put them out of action.”
The ships had left the Spanish port of Barcelona. Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon confirmed on Platform X on Thursday that the ships had been stopped before they reached Israeli territory. The aim of the aid fleet was to break the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip that has existed since 2007. At the same time, relief supplies should be brought to the area, which has been largely devastated in more than two years of war. The initiative also calls for a permanent humanitarian corridor.
Organizers of the relief fleet said on X that Israeli army boats had “illegally surrounded the relief fleet in international waters and threatened kidnapping and violence.” The people on the military boats “pointed lasers and semi-automatic assault rifles at us and ordered the participants to come to the front of the boats and get on their hands and knees,” it said.
The organizers also accused Israel of destroying engines and navigation systems. In addition, civilians were left behind on damaged ships that were unable to maneuver. This happened despite an approaching storm. Communication connections were also disrupted. According to the live tracker on the organization’s website, the access occurred west of the Greek island of Crete.
The Israeli army only briefly commented on this. She referred to the enforcement of the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, which Israel justifies with security considerations. You act according to the instructions of the political leadership.
The more than 50 boats had set sail in recent weeks from Marseille in France, Barcelona in Spain and Syracuse in Italy. At the end of 2025, an aid fleet tried to enter the Gaza Strip. Several prominent personalities were on board the ships, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. The ships were captured by the Israeli Navy, the crew members were arrested and then expelled from Israel.
The Gaza War began with the attack on Israel by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas on October 7, 2023, in which around 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were kidnapped as hostages in the Gaza Strip. Since then, 1,073 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations, armed clashes and attacks in the Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
A ceasefire came into force in the Palestinian territory in October 2025, but attacks and violence continue. Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violating the agreement. According to aid organizations, the humanitarian situation in the coastal area remains extremely precarious. (APA/Reuters)
