Israeli forces have boarded boats sailing as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla and detained a number of activists, taking them to an Israeli port on Wednesday, disrupting the protest against Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
As of early Thursday, a total of 23 boats had been intercepted or stopped, according to the flotilla’s own ship tracking data, but organisers said the remaining vessels would “continue undeterred”.
The organisation behind the flotilla put out videos on Telegram with messages from individuals aboard, some holding their passports and saying they had been abducted and taken to Israel against their will, and reiterating their mission was a non-violent humanitarian cause. The group denounced what it called Israel’s “illegal” raid as a “war crime”, saying the military used aggressive tactics, including water cannon, but that no one was harmed. The organisers said their communications had been scrambled, including the use of a live camera feed from some of the boats.
The boarding of the boats and detention of the activists, set off a wave of diplomatic reprimands from around the world. Turkey’s foreign ministry said the Israeli “attack” on the flotilla was “an act of terror” that endangered the lives of innocent civilians, while Spain called on Israel to protect the safety and rights of activists and Ireland said the flotilla was “a peaceful mission to shine a light on a horrific humanitarian catastrophe”.
Spontaneous protests broke out across Italy in response to the raid, with tens of thousands – and major unions – calling for a general strike on Friday. Protests were also reported in Brussel, Athens, Buenos Aires and Berlin.
One of the most prominent activists on board, Greta Thunberg, was seen sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers in a video from the Israeli foreign ministry verified by Reuters. Israel’s foreign ministry posted on X: “Several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port. Greta and her friends are safe and healthy.”
The flotilla – transporting medicine and food to Gaza – consisted of more than 40 civilian boats with about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists. The boats were about 75 nautical miles off Gaza when the first interception occurred.
Israel repeatedly warned the flotilla to turn back, saying it was approaching an active combat zone, violating a lawful blockade. It offered to transfer any aid peacefully through safe channels to Gaza, denouncing the mission as a stunt.
Colombian president Gustavo Petro expelled all remaining Israeli diplomats from the country over what he called “a new international crime” by Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mexico’s foreign ministry demanded the rights of their citizens on the flotilla be respected, while Brazil’s government implored Israel to “immediately and unconditionally lift all restrictions on the entry and distribution of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip”.
Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim condemned the interception, saying “These vessels carried unarmed civilians and life-saving humanitarian supplies for Gaza, yet they were met with intimidation and coercion.”
