Israeli naval forces boarded a lot of the vessels in a flotilla making an attempt to interrupt Israel’s blockade of Gaza on Thursday and detained dozens aboard, together with European lawmakers, drawing widespread condemnation.
The World Sumud Flotilla was the biggest but to attempt to break the blockade, and it comes at a time of rising criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, the place its offensive has laid waste to large swaths of territory and killed tens of hundreds of individuals.
Activists mentioned they hoped that the sheer variety of boats would make it harder for Israeli authorities to intercept all of them — however Israel’s International Ministry declared the operation over on Thursday afternoon.
In accordance with The Guardian and different sources, one boat, the Mikeno, managed to evade interception. Contact with the vessel has reportedly been misplaced.
Supporters of the flotilla took to the streets in a number of main cities late Wednesday, after information of the interception broke — together with in Rome; Istanbul; Athens, Greece; and Buenos Aires, Argentina — to decry the Israeli operation and the ongoing offensive within the Gaza Strip. Extra protests had been anticipated Thursday, and Italy’s largest union referred to as for a one-day normal strike on Friday.
A Gaza-bound Sumud flotilla boat sails into the port of Ashdod, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, after it was intercepted off the Gaza coast.
AP Photograph / Leo Correa
The flotilla, which began out with greater than 40 boats and almost 450 activists, was carrying a symbolic quantity of humanitarian help to Gaza. Its major aim, they mentioned, remained “to interrupt Israel’s unlawful siege and finish the continuing genocide towards the Palestinian folks.”
Israel’s International Ministry dismissed it as a “provocation,” saying that numerous nations have supplied to ship the help the boats had been carrying. Israel has come beneath intense criticism for the way a lot help it lets into Gaza and the way it distributes the products. It has vehemently denied it’s committing genocide.
The organizers of the flotilla mentioned at the very least 39 of their boats had been intercepted or assumed intercepted in a nightlong Israeli operation. Israeli authorities later mentioned just one boat remained “at a distance” and can be intercepted if it approached. A tracker that confirmed the boats’ positions confirmed nothing by Thursday afternoon.
The flotilla has streamed its voyage on-line through dwell cameras aboard completely different boats, although connections had been misplaced as Israeli authorities started boarding them in worldwide waters on Wednesday night.
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The Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, triggered the Israel-Hamas battle. Militants killed some 1,200 folks that day, whereas 251 others had been kidnapped. Forty-eight hostages are nonetheless held in Gaza — round 20 believed to be alive.
Israel’s ensuing marketing campaign has killed greater than 66,000 Palestinians, based on Gaza’s Well being Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and militants in its toll. The ministry, which is a part of the Hamas-run authorities and whose figures are seen by consultants as essentially the most dependable estimate, has mentioned girls and youngsters make up round half the useless.
Activists and European lawmakers detained
Israeli forces detained and eliminated dozens of individuals — together with Greta Thunberg, former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau and European Parliament member Rima Hassan — from the flotilla.
Israel’s International Ministry posted pictures and movies of among the activist detainees saying in an announcement on X that they had been “protected and in good well being” and can be transferred to Israel for deportation.
Earlier, dwell broadcasts from the activists confirmed Israeli boats approaching their vessels, spraying them with water cannons and flashing vivid lights earlier than troops boarded the flotilla.
This body seize from video launched by the World Summed Flotilla reveals as Israeli navy troopers method one of many flotilla vessels as they method the coast of Gaza early Thursday Oct. 2, 2025.
(World Sumud Flottila through AP)
Anticipating the interceptions, activists carrying life jackets sat in circles and raised their fingers within the air. Some managed to stream the second dwell from their cellphones earlier than tossing their gadgets into the ocean.
Governments world wide decry flotilla’s interception
Turkey, Colombia, Pakistan and others condemned Israel’s interception of the flotilla.
Italy, France, Poland and different European nations, which had warned the activists to not proceed the journey and keep away from confrontation with Israel, mentioned they had been working with Israeli diplomatic authorities to make sure their residents had been transferred to land and deported house swiftly.
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one in all Israel’s staunchest allies, on Thursday slammed Italian unions for his or her determination to name a normal strike on Friday in solidarity with the flotilla.
“I proceed to imagine that each one this brings no profit to the Palestinian folks. However, I perceive that it’ll deliver quite a lot of issues to Italian residents,” Meloni instructed reporters upon her arrival in Copenhagen for a summit.
Turkey’s International Ministry described the interceptions as an “act of terrorism” and a extreme breach of worldwide legislation in an announcement late Wednesday. Pakistan’s International Ministry additionally referred to as the interception a violation of worldwide legislation and a menace to civilian lives.
This mixture of pictures launched by the Israeli International Ministry reveals Greta Thunberg, second from proper, with different flotilla activists after the Israeli navy intercepted the World Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian help to Gaza, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.
(Israeli International Ministry through AP)
The detention of activists was a part of Israel’s “ongoing aggression,” the Pakistani ministry mentioned, including that Israel’s blockade of Gaza had triggered “immense struggling” for greater than 2 million Palestinians within the strip.
Israel has argued its actions represent a lawful naval blockade wanted to forestall Hamas from importing arms, whereas critics take into account it collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza.
Whether or not the blockade is militarily justified is some extent of competition. However the flotilla argues they’re a civilian, unarmed group and that the passage of humanitarian help is assured beneath worldwide legislation.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro introduced late Wednesday that his authorities would expel Israel’s diplomatic delegation within the South American nation and terminate a free commerce settlement with Israel over the interception. Two Colombian residents are collaborating within the flotilla.
Petro has repeatedly described Israel’s siege of Gaza as an act of genocide, one thing Israel vehemently denies.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
