30 Aid Boats Defy Israeli Blockade, Sail On to Gaza Despite Interceptions
Despite Israeli naval forces intercepting 13 vessels, 30 civilian boats carrying foreign activists and humanitarian aid continue their journey across the Mediterranean towards Gaza, flotilla organisers confirmed Thursday.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, made up of more than 40 boats with around 500 parliamentarians, lawyers, and activists, is transporting food and medicine to the besieged enclave. Organisers said some ships are now less than 50 kilometers from Gaza’s shores, despite repeated Israeli warnings to turn back.
A video verified by Reuters showed Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg surrounded by Israeli soldiers after her vessel, Captain Nikos, was intercepted. Israel’s foreign ministry confirmed Thunberg and other passengers had been “safely stopped” and transferred to port, claiming the operation was lawful under the blockade.
Flotilla participants, however, denounced the raid as a “war crime,” accusing Israeli forces of boarding ships in international waters, using water cannons, and scrambling communications. Several videos posted on Telegram showed activists displaying passports and alleging they were abducted against their will.
The mission has drawn wide international attention, with Turkey, Spain, and Italy monitoring the flotilla in case their nationals required rescue. Turkey called the raid an “act of terror,” while Malaysia condemned the detention of eight of its citizens. Colombian President Gustavo Petro went further, expelling Israel’s diplomatic delegation and terminating a free trade deal after two Colombians were detained.
Protests have erupted in Colombia and Italy, with Italian unions announcing a nationwide strike in solidarity with the flotilla. Meanwhile, Israel maintains the group’s actions are a political stunt, saying aid could have been delivered through “safe and lawful channels.”
The flotilla is the latest attempt to break Israel’s 18-year naval blockade of Gaza, first imposed in 2007 after Hamas took control of the enclave. In 2010, nine activists were killed when Israeli commandos stormed a previous flotilla.
Israel insists the blockade is necessary to stop arms smuggling to Hamas, but critics argue it has turned Gaza into a humanitarian wasteland, worsened by nearly two years of war since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and led to an Israeli offensive that has since killed over 65,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.
For now, organisers vow to continue. “The flotilla will not be deterred,” they said. “Thirty boats are still on course to Gaza.
