Israeli naval forces board vessels seeking to break Gaza blockade

Israeli naval forces have boarded most of the vessels in a flotilla attempting to break the blockade of Gaza and detained dozens on board, including European lawmakers.

The Global Sumud Flotilla was the largest yet to try to break the blockade, and it comes at a time of growing criticism of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, where its offensive has laid waste to wide swathes of territory and killed tens of thousands of people.

Activists said they hoped the sheer number of boats would make it more difficult for Israeli authorities to intercept them all but Israel’s Foreign Ministry declared the operation over on Thursday afternoon.

Supporters of the flotilla took to the streets in several major cities late on Wednesday after news of the interception broke — including in Rome, Istanbul, Athens, and Buenos Aires — to condemn the Israeli operation and the ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The flotilla, which started out with more than 40 boats and nearly 450 activists, was carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Its main goal remained “to break Israel’s illegal siege and end the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people”.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry dismissed it as a “provocation,” saying that various countries have offered to deliver the aid the boats were carrying.

Israel has come under intense criticism for how much aid it lets into Gaza and how it distributes the goods. It has denied it is committing genocide.

The organisers of the flotilla said at least 39 of their boats were intercepted or assumed intercepted in a night-long Israeli operation. Israeli authorities later said only one boat remained “at a distance” and would be intercepted if it approached.

The flotilla has streamed its voyage online via live cameras aboard different boats, though connections were lost as Israeli authorities began boarding them in international waters on Wednesday evening.

The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023 triggered the Israel-Hamas war. Militants killed some 1,200 people that day, while 251 others were abducted. Forty-eight hostages are still held in Gaza — around 20 believed to be alive.

Israel’s ensuing campaign has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and whose figures are viewed by experts as the most reliable estimate, has said women and children make up around half the dead.

Israeli forces detained and removed dozens of people — including Greta Thunberg, former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau and European Parliament member Rima Hassan — from the flotilla.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted photos and videos of some of the activists, saying in a statement on X that they were “safe and in good health” and would be transferred to Israel for deportation.

Earlier, live broadcasts from the activists showed Israeli boats approaching their vessels, spraying them with water canons and flashing bright lights before troops boarded the flotilla.

Anticipating the interceptions, activists wearing life jackets sat in circles and raised their hands in the air. Some managed to stream the moment live from their mobile phones before tossing their devices into the sea.

Turkey, Colombia, Pakistan and others condemned Israel’s interception of the flotilla.

Italy, France, Poland and other European nations, which had warned the activists not to continue the journey and avoid confrontation with Israel, said they were working with Israeli diplomatic authorities to ensure their citizens were transferred to land and deported home swiftly.

Italian premier Giorgia Meloni, one of Israel’s staunchest allies, on Thursday criticised Italian unions for their decision to call a general strike on Friday in solidarity with the flotilla.

“I continue to believe that all this brings no benefit to the Palestinian people. On the other hand, I understand that it will bring a lot of problems to Italian citizens,” Ms Meloni told reporters upon her arrival in Copenhagen for a summit.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry described the interceptions as an “act of terrorism” and a severe breach of international law in a statement late on Wednesday. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry also called the interception a violation of international law and a threat to civilian lives.

The detention of activists was part of Israel’s “ongoing aggression,” the Pakistani ministry said, adding that Israel’s blockade of Gaza had caused “immense suffering” for more than two million Palestinians in the strip.

Israel has argued its actions constitute a lawful naval blockade needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics consider it collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza.