Israeli Navy attacks Gaza aid flotilla, detains 223 activists

Israeli naval forces attacked an international aid flotilla bound for the besieged Gaza Strip and detained 223 activists on board, organizers said on Thursday.

The Global Sumud Flotilla shared on the US social media company Instagram the names and nationalities of 223 activists aboard the 15 of attacked vessels.

The activists aboard the ships attacked by Israel were of various nationalities, including Spaniards, Italians, Brazilians, Turks, Greeks, Americans, Germans, Swedes, British, and French citizens, and many others.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said through the US social media company X that the detained activists are on their way to Israel's Ashdod Port, from which they will be deported to Europe.

The official flotilla tracker showed that 21 vessels have been attacked by the Israeli forces, as 23 others continue their way to Gaza.

According to the tracker, the Mikeno vessel has entered Gaza’s territorial waters, however, the tracking signal was lost with the vessel when it was about 9.3 nautical miles from Gaza.

According to Erdem Ozveren, a Turkish activist from the global mission, their vessel is less than 30 nautical miles (55 kilometers) away from Gaza.

The Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli forces surrounded the vessels as they sailed toward Gaza to challenge a years-long Israeli blockade. Activists reported signal jamming and communication cut aboard most of the boats.

Several activists posted videos on social media showing Israeli naval boats approaching the convoy and ordering them to change course.

“We are being attacked right now by the Zionist (Israeli) army,” the International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza (ICBSG) said on the US social media company X's platform. “Some ships have already been intercepted and a state of emergency has been declared aboard all vessels.

“High Alert. Our vessels are being illegally intercepted. Cameras are offline, and vessels have been boarded by military personnel.”

- Violence

The committee accused Israel of using violence against the activists, saying naval forces rammed one ship, deployed water cannons, and forcibly boarded vessels while “brutally mistreating peaceful detainees from 50 countries around the world.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that some activists were detained and would be moved to an Israeli port.

The ministry said naval forces had reached the flotilla and ordered activists to divert to the port of Ashdod in southern Israel for inspection before aid could be transferred into Gaza.

Israel's Channel 13, citing sources, said the operation to seize the flotilla would continue until Thursday.

- Aid mission

The aid flotilla reached less than 80 nautical miles (148 kilometers) from Gaza before being attacked by the Israeli Navy.

Activists spotted more than 20 Israeli naval boats approaching the convoy, with the navy ordering them to change course.

A spokesman said the approaching Israeli boats were clearly moving to impose a blockade on the flotilla.

The attack came as the convoy already passed the point at which the Madleen and Handala ships were also attacked by Israel in June and July.

Livestream footage from the flotilla showed activists donning life vests as the Israeli boats approached the vessels.

The Israeli raid came despite appeals by international organizations, including Amnesty International, for the protection of the aid flotilla. The UN also warned that any attack on the convoy would be unacceptable.

Israel, as the occupying power, has previously attacked Gaza-bound ships, seized their cargo, and deported activists on board.

The flotilla, loaded mainly with humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail at the end of August. It was the first time in years that more than 50 ships have sailed together toward Gaza, carrying 532 civilian supporters from over 45 countries.

Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, home to nearly 2.4 million, for nearly 18 years, and further tightened the siege in March when it closed border crossings and blocked food and medicine deliveries, pushing the enclave into famine.

Since October 2023, Israeli bombardment has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The UN and rights groups have repeatedly warned that the enclave is being rendered uninhabitable, with starvation and disease spreading rapidly.