Israeli Navy intercepts 13 Gaza aid flotilla as 30 boats still en route

Israeli forces have intercepted 13 boats carrying international activists and humanitarian aid bound for Gaza, while 30 vessels remain en route to the besieged enclave, flotilla organisers said on October 2.

Among those stopped was the boat carrying Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, footage released by Israel’s foreign ministry and verified by Reuters showed. The ministry confirmed she and others had been taken safely to an Israeli port.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of more than 40 civilian boats carrying medicine, food and around 500 activists, parliamentarians and lawyers, has drawn worldwide attention as it seeks to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, in place since 2007.

Several governments, including Türkiye, Spain and Italy, sent boats or drones to monitor the flotilla in case their citizens needed assistance. Türkiye condemned Israel’s “attack” as an “act of terror,” while Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said eight Malaysians were detained, accusing Israel of showing “utter contempt” for humanitarian principles.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro escalated diplomatic tensions by expelling Israel’s delegation, cancelling a free trade agreement, and calling the detention of two Colombians a “new international crime” by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Protests erupted in Italy and Colombia following the raid, with Italian unions calling for a general strike on October 3 in solidarity with the activists.

Israel’s navy said it had repeatedly warned the flotilla that it was entering an active combat zone and violating a lawful blockade, offering to transfer aid via official channels. Israeli officials dismissed the operation as a political provocation rather than a humanitarian mission.

The organisers accused Israel of “illegally intercepting” boats in international waters about 70 nautical miles from Gaza, using water cannon and scrambling communications, but said no one was harmed. They vowed the mission would continue “undeterred.”

The flotilla had aimed to reach Gaza on October 2, with 30 boats still sailing and reported to be 46 nautical miles from the coast.

Israel’s blockade and repeated interceptions recall the deadly 2010 flotilla raid in which nine activists were killed. In June this year, Thunberg was briefly detained by Israeli forces during a separate pro-Palestinian sea mission.

The latest attempt comes amid Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, launched after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that killed around 1,200 people in Israel. Gaza health authorities say more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began.