Gaza-bound flotilla organizer says Israeli navy failed in interception attempt as ships near Gaza

A spokesman for the Maghreb branch of the Global Sumud Flotilla that is heading to Gaza said early Wednesday that an Israeli naval maneuver to intercept the flotilla failed and that the ships ignored the attempt against lead vessels and continued toward Gaza.

Wael Naouar said through the US social media company Facebook that the Israeli navy first tried to block the lead ship Alma, but the rest of the flotilla passed unopposed. He described a second attempt when Israeli forces redirected toward another lead vessel, Sirius, only to be again bypassed by the remaining ships.

“The Zionist (Israeli) vessels today intercepted Alma, the lead ship, but the other ships ignored Alma and continued toward Gaza,” Naouar said. He added that when the flotilla regrouped around Sirius, the Israeli navy shifted focus there but was met with the same result as “the rest of the flotilla ignored Sirius and continued their journey to Gaza.”

Israeli warships then tried to penetrate the flotilla from multiple sides to disperse it, but that all ships maneuvered and stayed on course, he said, describing the interception attempts as a test of the flotilla’s resolve: “Even if you stop 47 vessels, the 48th will continue on to Gaza.”

Earlier in the day, a large warship was spotted near the Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla as its organizers reported a state of high alert at sea.

Contact has been restored with the Alma ship after being lost for a short time, said an Al Jazeera correspondent on board the flotilla.

According to the correspondent, an Israeli vessel came within just five feet of the Alma, and jammed all of its communication systems, as well as its engine, rendering them inoperative.

He added that participants on board the Alma threw their phones into the sea in line with the established security protocols.

The correspondent later reported that the Israeli vessel had left the area, allowing the flotilla to resume its course toward the shores of the Gaza Strip.

The flotilla, which is sailing to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza, announced that its vessels are now about 121 nautical miles from the besieged enclave.

The Israeli army has killed over 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.