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Tag: Global Sumud Flotilla

  • Israel foils second Gaza flotilla in a week, activists say vessels were under attack

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    The Gaza Freedom Flotilla claimed that the Israeli military was jamming signals and had boarded at least two boats. The IDF has not yet commented on the incident.

    Israel said Wednesday it thwarted another attempt to breach its maritime blockade of Gaza, intercepting a flotilla of nine vessels organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. The boats, carrying about 100 activists, had sailed from Italy two weeks ago.

    “Another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone ended in nothing,” the Foreign Ministry tweeted. “The vessels and the passengers are transferred to an Israeli port. All the passengers are safe and in good health. The passengers are expected to be deported promptly.”

    The passengers detained are “expected to be deported promptly,” the ministry added.

    Earlier on Wednesday, the Gaza Freedom Flotilla said its vessels were under attack by the Israeli military, with several boats intercepted while sailing toward the Gaza Strip.

    The Israeli military was jamming signals with at least two boats being boarded, the flotilla said on Instagram.

    A screengrab from live footage shows an Israeli soldier smashing the CCTV camera of ”Gaza Sunbird”, a Gaza-bound vessel which is part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, with a gun as the boat is intercepted by Israeli security forces, in this screengrab obtained from a video released on October 8, 2025. (credit: Freedom Flotilla Coalition/Handout via REUTERS)

    The IDF has not yet commented on the incident.

    The interception follows a series of similar maritime confrontations in recent weeks. On Thursday, Israel stopped the 42-ship Global Sumud Flotilla, which carried 479 activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. Nearly all of those detained have since been deported.

    Documents found in Gaza and released by Israel’s Foreign Ministry traced direct Hamas involvement in organizing and financing the Sumud flotilla to break the Israeli blockade of the Strip. Israel said the boats carried no aid and accused participants of seeking confrontation rather than delivering humanitarian relief.

    Only seven activists remain in custody, including a Spanish national accused of biting an Israel Prison Service officer.

    Israel and Egypt have maintained restrictions on Gaza to prevent weapons smuggling since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007. Since then, Palestinian activists have periodically launched flotillas to challenge the blockade. In 2011, an independent UN inquiry into the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident criticized Israeli forces for using excessive force but upheld the blockade’s legality.

    Approximately 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 48 remaining hostages, about 20 are believed to be alive.

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  • More protests in Rome against Israeli interception of Gaza flotilla

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    Protests in Italy in solidarity with the Gaza aid flotilla stopped by Israel continue unabated on Saturday, with large crowds gathering for a fresh demonstration in Rome.

    The organizers spoke of several hundred thousand participants, but there are no official figures from the authorities.

    Since the Israeli Navy stopped the Gaza flotilla, there have been protests in Italy on an almost daily basis.

    People carrying banners and Palestinian flags took part in a march from Porta San Paolo to Porta San Giovanni, passing by the Colosseum. They shouted ‘Free Palestine’ and other slogans.

    The Italian news agency ANSA reported that flags of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia were also waved during the march.

    According to the report, some demonstrators also carried a banner with the slogan: “October 7 – Day of Palestinian Resistance.”

    On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other extremists carried out an unprecedented massacre in southern Israel, leaving around 1,200 people dead.

    On Friday, trade unions called for a general strike in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest aid flotilla for Gaza to date.

    Nationwide demonstrations attracted more than 2 million people, according to organizers. However, the Interior Ministry estimated the number of participants at just under 400,000.

    The Israeli Navy intercepted the flotilla with more than 400 crew members from dozens of countries, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, and took them into custody,

    According to the activists, they wanted to bring aid supplies to Gaza. Israel had offered to bring the aid supplies ashore via harbours outside Gaza and from there to the Palestinian coastal area. Activists rejected this saying they believe Israel’s Gaza blockade is illegal under international law.

    People take part in a national demonstration called by movements associations and unions for Palestine and the Global Sumud Flotilla. Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via ZUMA Press/dpa

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  • Israeli Navy intercepts last boat from Gaza aid flotilla

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    Activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla, which attempted to sail to the Gaza Strip carrying humanitarian aid, said on Friday that the Israeli Navy had intercepted the last of its boats shortly before it reached the blockaded coastal territory.

    “Marinette, the last remaining boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla, was intercepted at 10:29 am local time, approximately 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza,” the flotilla’s organizers said in a statement.

    A video released by the pro-Palestinian group shows the Israeli boat approaching the activists’ vessel, before the footage ends as soldiers climb on board.

    According to reports, the boat had experienced technical problems and was trailing behind the fleet.

    The navy had already stopped the rest of the flotilla’s 42 boats in the Mediterranean.

    Israeli authorities took more than 400 crew members from dozens of countries into custody, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, and said they will be sent back to their home countries.

    The activists wanted to deliver aid supplies directly to the population of the Gaza Strip and protest against Israel’s military campaign in the sealed-off territory.

    They rejected Israel’s offer to channel the supplies to Gaza via Israeli ports, saying Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip is illegal.

    Another pro-Palestinian flotilla has reportedly already left Europe and is travelling towards the Gaza Strip. The nine boats were said to be off the coast of Crete on Friday morning.

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  • Israel says Gaza flotilla halted completely as activists hail success

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    The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it had prevented the Global Sumud Flotilla from breaking through the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, despite contradictory claims from the activists on board.

    The organizers of the aid flotilla, which set sail from Barcelona in late August and aimed to deliver humanitarian aid directly to Gaza’s population, said Israel intercepted around 40 boats in the Mediterranean Sea.

    However, the activists said one boat, the Mikeno, reached within a few kilometres of Gaza’s coast, as shown on their online ship tracking service.

    They described the mission as a success, saying it was the first time a civilian vessel had managed to break through the Israeli naval blockade and enter the territorial waters off the Gaza Strip.

    The Times of Israel newspaper reported, citing military sources, that none of the flotilla’s ships had managed to reach the Israeli-controlled waters off the coast of Gaza, saying the activists’ claim was based on incorrect tracking data.

    The fate of the Mikeno remained unclear due to interrupted communications. There were no reports that the boat had reached dry land and been able to unload any aid supplies.

    The Israeli military and the Foreign Ministry did not initially respond to enquiries about the Mikeno.

    The Israeli navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla on Wednesday evening around 80 kilometres off the coast in international waters.

    Activists said the interception was illegal and accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip – accusations which Israel has rejected in the past.

    The flotilla members reported that at least one boat was rammed and others blasted with water cannons. Live footage from some of the vessels showed masked, heavily armed soldiers boarding and ordering crews to raise their hands. There were no reports of injuries during the operation.

    According to the organizers, around 500 participants from more than 40 countries, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were to be brought to Israel and then deported.

    “The passengers are safe and in good health,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on X, alongside a photo of some of the activists, including Thunberg.

    Two other boats turned north towards Cyprus and escaped military action. One final boat remained at sea, but far from the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Foreign Ministry warned that if it continued to approach, it would also be stopped.

    It was initially unclear what would happen to the intercepted boats and their cargo. The activists had previously rejected offers from Israel to have the flotilla’s supplies brought to the Gaza Strip via an Israeli port.

    “The flotilla refused because they are not interested in aid, but in provocation,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on X.

    The flotilla issued a statement on Thursday saying: “Our commitment remains clear: to break Israel’s illegal siege and end the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. Every act of repression against our flotilla, every escalation of violence in Gaza, and every attempt to suppress solidarity actions only strengthen our resolve.”

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  • Gaza-bound flotilla resumes journey from Crete toward Gaza

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    After two days anchored near Crete, the 40-vessel flotilla set sail again with Italian and Spanish warships nearby to monitor and support its passage.

    The Gaza-bound flotilla of around forty vessels resumed its journey after two days of stopping near a small island south of the Greek island of Crete. The flotilla had been waiting for two days for naval ships to arrive.

    Italy and Spain had said they would send naval ships to monitor the flotilla or provide aid in case of more attacks on the ships. The Global Sumud Flotilla has been sailing for a month since leaving Barcelona in Spain on September 1. It spent a week in Tunisia, several days off of Sicily and two days anchored south of Crete.

    One Italian naval ship appeared to arrive near the flotilla on Thursday afternoon. It was not clear if more had appeared on Friday. The ships had been dispatched after the flotilla claimed it was attacked on Tuesday evening while it was sailing around 65 kilometers (40 miles) south of Crete.

    After the attack, the flotilla moved close to the coast of Crete, apparently hoping for protection in Greek waters. The flotilla also joined several sailboats that had come from Greece. This now means the flotilla consists of roughly 20 vessels from Spain, 20 from Italy and up to six from Greece. However, the flotilla has also had to leave several ships behind.

    The large pleasure craft called Family was left at anchor off the Cretan island of Koufonisia. It is 23 meters long and had a large crew aboard. It was one of the largest ships in the flotilla, because most of the boats are sailboats.

    Boats, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, sail off Koufonisi islet, Greece, September 26, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/STEFANOS RAPANIS)

    The Family vessel apparently had some engine trouble. This same vessel had allegedly been struck by a drone while at anchor off of the Tunisian town of Sidi Bou Said in mid-September. It is unclear if the vessel is damaged.

    The crew has apparently been transferred to other vessels, according to reports on social media. The flotilla was around 9 nautical miles off of Koufonisia sailing a southeasterly course on Saturday evening. This means they are leaving Greek national waters. A larger ship called Life Support has also come to assist the flotilla. It is run by the NGO Emergency and can provide aid. It is a 52 meter ship built in 2002.

    The flotilla now consists of around 40 vessels, including the large old sailboat Sirius region and the converted fishing vessel Estrella Y Manuel. It also has the 33 meter pleasure craft Alma Explorers.

    Several new vessels appear to be sailing with the group now, including the San Marino flagged Seulle, the Australia flagged Fox Hat and Greek-flagged Captain Nikos. A Netherlands sailboat called Donna is also sailing with the group; along with more well known sailboats that began the journey in Spain such as Mikeno VI, and Inana. The Spanish vessel Jeannot III, a sailboat, appears to have stayed behind with Family for now.

    Spain and Italy reportedly send naval vessels to accompany flotilla

    According to reports, Spain has sent the naval vessel Furor (P-46) to support the flotilla. It is not clear in what capacity it will support the group, or merely provide surveillance and deter attacks in international waters.

    Italy has sent the Fasan (F-591) and Alpino (F-594) to the flotilla. It is also not clear what the task of these ships will be.

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  • Sinking ships and confiscating vessels: Israel’s plan to intercept Gaza flotillas revealed

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    Those who refuse to board the ship, and be voluntarily deported, will be arrested.

    Israel plans to intercept the vessels traveling to Gaza as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) to deliver aid to the Palestinian enclave, according to a Channel 12 report published on Thursday.

    The 45 vessels, currently traveling in Greek waters, is anticipated to reach Israeli territory in the coming days.
    In the first phase, members of the Shayetet 13 unit will reportedly take over the ships.

    Those who refuse to board the ship, and be voluntarily deported, will be arrested, according to the report.

    Crew members work aboard Spain’s warship ‘Furor’, a military vessel set to join in a supporting role the Global Sumud Flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza after it was attacked by drones off Greece, at the port of Cartagena, Spain September 25, 2025. (credit: SUSANA VERA/REUTERS)

    Following the transfer of activists, the boats will reportedly be confiscated or sunk.

    Attempts to negotiate with the flotilla activists

    The potential complex naval conflict has led Israel to try to directly negotiate with the activists, offering to deliver the aid the ships are alleged to be carrying to Gaza if they dock in Ashkelon. The activists rejected the offer and announced their intentions to continue the voyage to Gaza.

    Since rejecting the offer, the activists have claimed that Israel has targeted the vessels with drones and multiple nations have launched warships to guard them on their journey.

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  • Gaza aid flotilla targeted by drones and explosions, activists say

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    Organizers of the pro-Palestinian flotilla hoping to carry aid to Gaza said that Israel attacked them with “flash bombs, explosive flares, and suspected chemicals” as it approached the war-torn Palestinian territory.

    “The Israeli occupation forces have launched at least 11 attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla as it is 600 nautical miles [1,100 kilometres] from Gaza,” the CODEPINK organization said in a social media post early on Wednesday.

    “Israel is threatening and terrorizing humanitarians carrying aid in international waters. Demand safe passage for the flotilla. Break the siege on Gaza now,” the group said, in comments also shared by the flotilla.

    Global Sumud Flotilla published a video on its social media channels early on Wednesday showing what it said were “flashbangs… a non-lethal explosive device used mainly by police or military forces. It is designed to incapacitate people temporarily without causing permanent injury, making it useful in crowd control or hostage rescue operations.”

    The activists said that “explosive flares” and “suspected chemicals” were deployed against the boats as well as “unidentified drones and communications jamming.”

    “We are witnessing these psychological operations firsthand, right now, but we will not be intimidated,” the flotilla said in a Telegram post.

    Earlier, Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, reposted one of the flotilla’s videos on her X page.

    “9th attack reported on humanitarian boats in int’l waters (southwest of Crete) – in the middle of the night! Et voilà: genocidaire on land, maritime outlaw at sea,” she wrote in the social media thread.

    The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set off from Barcelona in late August with hundreds of activists on board, is aiming to breach the Israeli sea blockade of the Gaza coast to deliver humanitarian aid to the population of the war-torn territory. “Sumud” means steadfastness in Arabic.

    Israel has in the past thwarted a number of attempts to breach its sea blockade. Most recently, activists said two Global Sumud Flotilla vessels were attacked while in Tunisian waters over about 24 hours earlier in September.

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  • Video shows China fishing boats, not Gaza aid flotilla

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    A video of fishing vessels setting sail in northern China has been falsely shared in posts claiming it shows a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and pro-Palestinian activists to Gaza. An analysis found the footage does not correspond to pictures of the Global Sumud Flotilla.

    “Global Sumud Flotilla is not a terrorist movement. It is a HUMANITARIAN MISSION!” reads part of the caption of a Facebook video shared on September 10, 2025.

    The video, which has been viewed more than 3,300 times, shows clips of what appear to be hundreds of boats heading out to sea.

    The caption adds the flotilla is not carrying any weapons, only food and aid.

    It was shared after organisers of the Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid and pro-Palestinian activists said one of their boats had been struck in a suspected drone attack off Tunisia’s coast on September 9, the second in 24 hours (archived link).

    Tunisia’s interior ministry said it was launching an investigation into the “premeditated aggression” attack.

    Screenshot of the false Facebook post captured on September 12, 2025, with a red X added by AFP

    The video was also shared hundreds of times in similar Facebook, Instagram and TikTok posts.

    The flotilla hopes to help relieve the spiralling humanitarian crisis in Gaza as Israel’s war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas grinds on (archived link).

    The war erupted in October 2023, triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

    Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 64,871 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers to be reliable.

    In August, as a result of the conflict, the UN officially declared famine in and around Gaza City, home to around a million people. Israel, however, denies the existence of famine in the coastal territory.

    Chinese fishing vessels

    A reverse image search using keyframes from the falsely shared video found the same clips were previously posted on September 1 by China’s state-run Global Times tabloid on BiliBili (archived link).

    “On September 1 at noon, the summer fishing ban in Bohai and the Yellow Sea ended, fishing boats along the coast of Shandong province began setting sail at the same time,” reads the video’s simplified Chinese text.

    <span>Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and the Global Times video (right)</span>

    Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (left) and the Global Times video (right)

    Further reverse image searches led to similar clips published by Chinese state broadcaster CGTN’s affiliated Facebook account, China Plus Culture, in a September 3 post about the end of the four-month summer fishing ban (archived link).

    “More than 30,000 fishing vessels departed from ports along the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, north of 35 degrees latitude, as the four-month summer fishing ban officially ended at noon on September 1, marking the start of a new season for thousands of coastal communities.” the post reads.

    A closer inspection of the clips shows the boats are flying solid red-coloured flags resembling China’s national flag — not the black, white, and green Palestinian flag.

    <span>Screenshot of the falsely shared video with the flags on the boat magnified by AFP </span>

    Screenshot of the falsely shared video with the flags on the boat magnified by AFP

    Photos of the Global Sumud Flotilla taken by AFP while it was docked in Tunisia show the boats are adorned with Palestinian flags, unlike the vessels seen in the falsely shared video.

    <span>Boats, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla gather at the Tunisian port of Bizerte, ahead of the scheduled departure to the Gaza Strip to break Israel's blockade on the Palestinian territory on September 13, 2025.</span><div><span> FETHI BELAID</span><span>AFP</span></div>
    Boats, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla gather at the Tunisian port of Bizerte, ahead of the scheduled departure to the Gaza Strip to break Israel’s blockade on the Palestinian territory on September 13, 2025.

    FETHI BELAIDAFP

    FETHI BELAID / AFP

    AFP has also debunked other false claims related to the war in Gaza.

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  • Gaza aid flotilla, with Thunberg aboard, restarts after weather delay

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    A flotilla carrying pro-Palestinian activists, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, set sail from Spain for the Gaza Strip for a second time on Monday, after its first departure was disrupted by bad weather.

    Around 20 boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla departed from the Spanish city of Barcelona in the evening with around 300 pro-Palestinian activists from more than 40 countries on board, the news agency Europa Press and other Spanish media reported.

    The flotilla first set sail on Sunday, but was forced to return to port due to stormy weather.

    “Due to unsafe weather conditions, we conducted a sea trial and then returned to port to allow the storm to pass,” the organizers posted on Instagram.

    The Global Sumud Flotilla aims to breach the Israeli sea blockade of the Gaza coast to deliver humanitarian aid to the population. “Sumud” means steadfastness in Arabic.

    Its organizers say that it is the largest action of its kind to date.

    Thunberg in a return trip to Gaza

    Thunberg participated in a similar voyage aboard the Madleen vessel earlier this year.

    Israeli troops boarded the Madleen 200 kilometres off the coast on June 9 and took it to Ashdod, an Israeli port to the north of the Gaza Strip. Thunberg and other activists were then deported.

    Israel has in the past thwarted a number of attempts to breach its sea blockade. An attempt by an Italian vessel in July was also prevented.

    On its website, the Global Sumud Flotilla says its goal along with partner organizations is: “to break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor, and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people.”

    Dozens of boats will converge on Gaza, it says.

    Dozens of people gather before the farewell to the Global Sunat Flotilla at the Port of Barcelona. The Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail from the Mediterranean to confront Israel’s illegal blockade and bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. The flotilla exceeds 20 boats and 300 people with activists from 44 different countries, with more boats scheduled to join them when they arrive in Tunisia. Kike Rincón/EUROPA PRESS/dpa

    Dozens of people gather before the farewell to the Global Sunat Flotilla at the Port of Barcelona. The Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail from the Mediterranean to confront Israel's illegal blockade and bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. The flotilla exceeds 20 boats and 300 people with activists from 44 different countries, with more boats scheduled to join them when they arrive in Tunisia. Kike Rincón/EUROPA PRESS/dpa

    Dozens of people gather before the farewell to the Global Sunat Flotilla at the Port of Barcelona. The Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail from the Mediterranean to confront Israel’s illegal blockade and bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. The flotilla exceeds 20 boats and 300 people with activists from 44 different countries, with more boats scheduled to join them when they arrive in Tunisia. Kike Rincón/EUROPA PRESS/dpa

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