Israel intercepts flotilla heading to Gaza with Greta Thunberg

Vessels tried to break through the Israeli naval blockade and bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave. Israel’s Foreign Ministry says activists, including some Brazilians, are “safe and healthy”.

The international flotilla that transported activists from several countries towards the Gaza Strip, in an attempt to deliver humanitarian aid to the population of the Palestinian territory, was intercepted this Wednesday (01710) by Israeli military ships.

The Sumud Global Flotilla – made up of around 45 vessels carrying around 500 activists, politicians and personalities, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg – left Spain last month with the aim of breaking the Israeli naval blockade of the war-torn Palestinian territory.

After a 10-day stop in Tunisia, where organizers reported two drone attacks on flotilla vessels, the group resumed its journey on September 15. One of its flagship ships, the Alma, was “aggressively surrounded by an Israeli warship,” the group said, before another vessel, the Sirius, was subjected to “similar harassment maneuvers.”

The vessels were intercepted about 70 nautical miles (129 kilometers) off the coast of Gaza, according to organizers, who shared the flotilla’s geographic positioning in real time.

“At around 8:30 pm, Gaza time (2:30 pm Brasília time), several vessels from the Sumud Global Flotilla, including Alma, Sirius and Adara, were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli occupation forces in international waters,” the flotilla organization said in a statement.

“In addition to the confirmed intercepts, live feeds and communications with several other vessels were lost.”

Tel Aviv: activists are “safe and healthy”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Wednesday confirming that “several ships from the Gaza humanitarian aid flotilla have been stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port.”

“Greta and her friends are safe and healthy,” the ministry said in a post on X alongside a video that appeared to show the Swedish activist alongside several masked and armed Israeli soldiers.

Israel had already warned the flotilla not to approach the region. “The Israeli Navy contacted the […] flotilla and asked them to change course,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Israel informed the flotilla that they were approaching an active combat zone and violating a legal naval blockade.”

Spain and Italy, which sent naval escorts, asked the ships to halt their course before entering the Israeli-declared exclusion zone off Gaza.

The flotilla, however, had promised to continue its attempt to deliver aid to the Palestinian territory, despite what it called “intimidation” tactics by the Israeli Army.

A group of Brazilian activists and politicians, including activist Thiago Ávila, were among the members of the flotilla.

Ávila is co-founder of the ecological movement Bem Viver in Brazil. On the previous trip of another humanitarian flotilla, also blocked by the Israelis in July, Ávila’s performance was the target of criticism from pro-Israel publications, which negatively highlighted the activist’s previous participation in the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, the top leader of Hezbollah, and a speech at an event in Iran.

Also in the group were Campinas councilor Mariana Conti (Psol), the president of Psol in Rio Grande do Sul, Gabrielle Tolotti; doctor Mohamad El Kadri, coordinator of the Palestine Latino Forum, and other pro-Palestinian activists such as Magno de Carvalho Costa, leader of the USP Workers’ Union (Sintusp).

Hamas accuses “crime of piracy”

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the Israeli operation was expected to take 2 to 3 hours. The boats would be towed to the Israeli port of Ashdod and the activists would be deported in the coming days. He also said that Israeli forces were instructed “not to use violence.”

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday expelled all remaining Israeli diplomats in the country due to the interception of the flotilla. Petro severed ties with Israel last year, but four diplomats still remained in the country. The president said two Colombian women were detained by Israel in “international waters” and called for their “immediate release”

The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the interception of the boats as an “act of terrorism” and a serious violation of international law. In a statement, it said it was taking initiatives to ensure the immediate release of Turkish citizens and other passengers detained by Israeli forces.

The Islamist group Hamas classified the interception as a “crime of piracy and maritime terrorism against civilians”, and urged “all defenders of freedom in the world” to report it.

The Israeli action “in international waters, as well as the arrest of activists and journalists” on board the ships “constitutes a treacherous act of aggression”, “which adds to the dark history of crimes committed” by Israel, the Islamist group said in a statement. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by the European Union (EU), the United States, Germany and several other countries.

What is the flotilla’s mission?

It is estimated that the Sumud Global Flotilla was transporting around 300 tonnes of essential supplies such as food, drinking water and medicine.

“The products in these flotillas do not meet the needs [totais] of Palestinians in Gaza, but they draw international attention to what is happening in Gaza,” Nathan Brown, professor of political science and international relations at George Washington University, explained to DW.

“Another effect, although perhaps a little less significant, is that it sends a message to the Palestinian population that they are not being ignored,” he noted.

Brown recalled that there was enormous frustration among Palestinians, who feared that the post-World War II rules-based international order applied to others but not to them.

At the same time, European criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza is increasing. Officials in Spain, France, Slovenia and other countries called the Israeli humanitarian blockade “unbearable.”

Israel confirmed that “several flotilla ships were stopped and their passengers transferred to an Israeli port” | Global Sumud Flotilla/REUTERS

“What Israel is perceived to be doing is not simply waging war in Gaza, but actually deliberately inducing famine, which would be a clear war crime,” Brown told DW. “The growing gulf between supporters and critics [de Israel] It’s something the current flotilla seeks to draw more attention to,” he concluded.

Israel, however, rejects the criticism. “The Israeli government says it is allowing enough food in, that what is being transported is being stolen by Hamas, that the flotillas are just a publicity stunt by people who hate Israel, and that this is the only current conflict in which one party is expected to feed the other,” Brown said.

What happened to the other flotillas?

In 2008, a year after Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip, when Israel had not yet fully implemented its naval blockade, several flotillas arrived in the enclave. But in mid-2009, the Israelis began intercepting all boats and closed access to Gaza by sea. Since 2010, no other flotilla has reached Gaza.

On May 31, 2010, Israeli forces intercepted six civilian boats from the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in what became known as the Mavi Marmara raid. The military opened fire on the Turkish-owned passenger ship, killing 10 Turkish pro-Palestinian activists. The Israeli Navy later claimed to have acted in self-defense, but its action was widely criticized around the world. Diplomatic relations between Israel and Türkiye deteriorated until Israel issued a formal apology in 2013 and agreed to pay $20 million in compensation to victims’ families in 2016.

The 2011 initiative, called Freedom Flotilla II, never made it out of Greece due to a combination of political pressure, technical sabotage and legal obstacles. As a consequence of Israeli pressure, Greece banned flotilla ships from leaving for Gaza, citing security and diplomatic concerns.

On June 29, 2015, the Swedish-flagged Freedom Flotilla III, carrying activists, parliamentarians, journalists and public figures from more than 20 countries, was intercepted approximately 160 kilometers from Gaza. Israeli forces boarded some of the ships, while others returned. The Israeli Navy reportedly used stun weapons during the operation.

In October 2016, the Women’s Boat to Gaza, a flotilla carrying women activists, was also intercepted before reaching Gaza.

In 2018, Israeli naval forces intercepted and seized two ships belonging to the Fair Future Flotilla for Palestine, first the Al Awda on July 29 and then the Freedom on August 3. According to reports from people on board, Israeli forces attacked some of the activists, who were later deported from Israel.

Two flotillas that left earlier this year and the Global Sumud, which is currently sailing towards Gaza, are described as Freedom Flotilla missions.

Greta Thunberg was already among the participants of the Madleen Mission, which set sail in June 2025. They were detained after Israeli forces intercepted the boat and were later deported.

In July, activists from the Handala mission were arrested after their ship was intercepted and seized in international waters off the coast of Gaza.

Originally published by DW on 10/01/2025