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Rabat – Israeli authorities are holding hundreds of international activists after naval forces stormed and seized several vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla en route to Gaza.
Organizers said more than 200 people from 37 countries were detained during the raid, which unfolded in international waters, and remain in legal limbo as Israel’s courts and prisons largely shut down for the Yom Kippur holiday.
Israeli naval forces have forcibly boarded and seized control of several ships belonging to the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian mission that sought to break the years-long blockade imposed on Gaza.
The convoy, which has drawn international attention as one of the largest maritime solidarity efforts in recent memory, was intercepted late Wednesday while still in international waters.
A mission halted by force
Organizers said that Israeli warships surrounded and boarded at least 13 vessels, cutting communications and blocking distress signals before storming the decks.
The flotilla, made up of more than 40 boats carrying nearly 500 activists from around the world, had been heading toward Gaza in an attempt to deliver humanitarian supplies and open a maritime corridor to the besieged enclave.
“They jammed our signals and attacked our ships in the dark of night,” said Saif Abukeshek, spokesperson for the Global Sumud Flotilla. “More than 200 people from 37 countries have already been detained, but around 30 vessels are still resisting the occupation forces at sea.”
Among those onboard the seized ships were activists from Spain, Italy, Turkiye, Malaysia, and the US, including lawmakers and military veterans. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was also pictured surrounded by Israeli soldiers after being detained.
Gaza under blockade
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have kept Gaza under a suffocating land, air, and naval blockade since 2007, trapping its two million residents in conditions that rights groups describe as collective punishment. Food, fuel, medical supplies, and construction materials are heavily restricted amid ongoing Israeli bloody genocide on Gaza.
Despite the flotilla carrying only a symbolic amount of aid, organizers insisted the voyage was about exposing the horrendous Israeli blockade and amplifying calls for international action.
“This mission is about breaking the silence,” a statement from the convoy read. “Blocking humanitarian aid at sea is yet another crime added to a long list.”
International condemnation
Governments across the globe reacted sharply to Israel’s seizure of the civilian convoy.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim condemned the interception in the “strongest terms,” calling it an act of “intimidation and coercion” against unarmed civilians.
Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Harris described the flotilla as “a peaceful mission to shine a light on a horrific humanitarian catastrophe,” and confirmed that Irish nationals were among those arrested.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro went further, expelling Israeli diplomats and canceling a trade agreement. “Here Netanyahu demonstrates his worldwide hypocrisy and why he is a worldwide criminal who must be captured,” he declared.
Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil accused Israel of continuing “genocide by other means,” notably by starving Gaza’s population through enforced aid blockades.
Turkiye’s Foreign Ministry denounced the naval raid as a “terrorist act.”
Mass protests erupted in cities including Rome, Buenos Aires, and Istanbul overnight, with demonstrators demanding the immediate release of the detained activists and an end to the Gaza blockade amid the bloody genocide still unfolding in Gaza.
Israel doubles down
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs defended the raid, releasing videos claiming the flotilla was “connected to Hamas,” an unproven allegation that activists have long rejected.
The ministry insisted that aid must be sent through “established channels” controlled by Israel, effectively undermining the mission’s purpose.
With Israeli courts shuttered for the Yom Kippur holiday, detainees remain in limbo, awaiting deportation. For now, Israel has signaled that it will continue to intercept the remaining boats, regardless of international outcry.
