An infographic titled 'Israeli navy intercepts Global Sumud Flotilla' created in Ankara, Turkiye on October 2, 2025
It said on X that it remained 'vigilant as we enter the area where the previous flotillas were intercepted and/or attacked'.
Greg
Stoker, an American veteran aboard one of the boats in the flotilla,
said around a dozen naval vessels with their transponders off had
approached it.
'They are currently
hailing our vessels, telling us to turn off our engines and await
further instructions or our boats will be seized and we will face the
consequences,' he said in a shaky video while wearing a red life jacket.
A
further statement from the flotilla said: 'Around 8:30pm Gaza time,
several vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, including the Alma, Sirius
and Adara, were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli occupation
forces in international waters.
'Beyond the confirmed interceptions, live streams and communications with several other vessels have been lost.'
The
Israeli Foreign Ministry said on X that the navy had reached out to the
flotilla to ask them to change course and to warn them that they are
approaching 'an active combat zone.'
It reiterated its offer to transfer the aid to Gaza through other channels.
Protests have held in a number of Italian cities late on Wednesday against the interception of flotilla
Pro-Palestinian
demonstrators march in downtown Milan late Wednesday after news that
the Gaza-bound aid flotilla had been intercepted by Israeli forces
Pro-Palestinian
activists wave Palestinian flags as they protest to condemn the
interception of the vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, outside the
Ministry Of Foreign Affairs in Athens
Pro-Palestinian
demonstrators flood the rail track at Milan's Cadorna railway station,
Italy, late Wednesday after news that a Gaza-bound aid flotilla had been
intercepted by Israeli forces in the Mediterranean Sea
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators flood the rail track at Milan's Cadorna railway station, Italy, late Wednesday
Israel's
ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, has said that activists
on board the Gaza aid flotilla will be deported once the Jewish holiday
of Yom Kippur concludes on Thursday.
'We
will not allow any PR stunt approaching an active war zone to violate
our sovereignty. Those who tried to enter Israeli territory illegally
will be deported immediately after Yom Kippur in Israel,' Danon said in a
statement.
He added that Israel has
'repeatedly offered ways to peacefully deliver aid to Gaza', but claimed
the flotilla was 'not interested in aid – only provocation'.
Italy
- which had sent a navy ship to follow the flotilla for part of its
journey but stopped as they got closer to Gaza's shores - confirmed the
Israeli intervention, as Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the
operation was expected to take two to three hours.
He
told state TV Rai that the boats would be towed to Israel's port of
Ashdod and the activists would be deported in the coming days and that
Israeli forces have been told 'not to use violence'.
However, Italy's largest union called a general strike for Friday in protest against the interception of the flotilla.
Protests
were also being held in a number of Italian cities late on Wednesday,
including in Naples, where demonstrators halted train traffic at the
main station.
Demonstrations have also
been erupting across Europe, with protesters seen filling the streets in
Athens, Rome, Berlin and Brussels on Wednesday evening.
In
Berlin, protesters reportedly closed down the central train station,
while pro-Palestine demonstrators poured into Milan's Cadorna's railway
station on Wednesday evening.
Greta
Thunberg and a crew member flash victory signs from their ship, part of
the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel's naval
blockade, as they sail off Crete island, Greece, September 25, 2025
Human
rights group Amnesty International said in a statement: 'Reports that
Israeli forces have intercepted the Gaza flotilla marks yet another
shameful chapter in the brutal and merciless enforcement of Israel's
illegal and immoral 18-year blockade of Gaza and is an attack on
international law and basic humanity.'
It
also called on Keir Starmer to 'condemn this interception, demand the
immediate and unconditional release of all those on board, including any
British nationals, and insist that Israel ends its unlawful blockade
and allows unrestricted humanitarian access to occupied Gaza.'
British
nationals and British-flagged ships are part of the flotilla. It is
unclear how many Britons have been intercepted by Israeli forces.
A
Foreign Office spokesperson told Daily Mail: 'We are in touch with the
family members of a number of British nationals on Global Sumud
Flotilla.'
Earlier in the day, the
international flotilla said it would continue to sail onwards after a
tense night in the Mediterranean Sea with over 40 civilian boats aiming
to break Israel's blockade of the Palestinian enclave.
'Every
minute we advance a little more,' Thiago Ávila, one of the flotilla
leaders, told reporters on Wednesday from aboard the Alma, one of the
flotilla's motherships.
The vessels were sailing in international waters north of Egypt on Wednesday afternoon and had entered what activists and others called a 'danger zone' or 'high risk zone.'
While
still in international waters, it is an area where the Israeli navy has
stopped other boats attempting to break its blockade in the past and
which the flotilla has was warned not to cross.
There
were fears the voyage could end in disaster as the 500-strong crew
ignored repeated warnings and refused to hand over the aid to be
delivered by land crossing.
On Tuesday
night, activists said two Israeli warships aggressively approached two
of their boats, circling them and jamming their communications,
including the live cameras on board.
'It was an intimidation act. They wanted
us to see them,' said Lisi Proença, another activist who was on board
the Sirius, a vessel that was targeted alongside the Alma.
After
the close encounter, the military vessels eventually left and the
flotilla continued on its journey, broadcasting live cameras from many
of its boats.
By Wednesday afternoon,
the atmosphere appeared to be more relaxed on board the decks of some of
the sailboats that broadcast their journeys through 24/7 livestreams.
Some
activists held up messages of solidarity with people in Gaza and
chanted 'Free Palestine!' on camera. Music could be heard playing in the
background.
Flotilla participants have also flooded social media with videos of their voyage and constant updates.
The
flotilla, which began its journey from the Spanish port of Barcelona a
month ago, aimed to reach the shores of Gaza by Thursday morning.
But
activists knew that was unlikely and said that they were expecting
Israeli authorities to try to stop them at any moment, as they have done
in past attempts.
Israel's Foreign
Minister Gideon Saar called the flotilla a provocation and warned them
to stop and transfer their aid through other channels into Gaza.
The
Israeli government has accused some of the flotilla members of being
linked to Hamas, while providing little evidence to support the claim.
Activists have strongly rejected the accusations and said Israel was trying to justify potential attacks on them.
European
governments, including Spain and Italy, which had sent their navy ships
to escort the flotilla during part of its journey, urged the activists
this week to turn back and avoid confrontation.
But
while Italy's Premier Giorgia Meloni said late Tuesday the flotilla's
actions risked undermining US President Donald Trump's recent proposal
for resolving the war in Gaza, Spain's prime minister defended them.
'We
must remember it is a humanitarian mission that wouldn't be taking
place if the Israeli government had allowed for the entry of aid,' Pedro
Sánchez told reporters on Wednesday.
Spaniards taking part would benefit from full diplomatic protection, he added.
'They present no threat nor danger to Israel,' he said.
The
U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea stipulates that a state only has
jurisdiction up to 12 nautical miles (19 kilometers) from its shores.
In general, states don't have the right to seize ships in international waters, though armed conflict is an exception to this.
Yuval
Shany, an expert on international law at Hebrew University in
Jerusalem, said that as long as Israel's blockade of Gaza is 'militarily
justified, Israel can intercept the vessel after prior warning.
Whether the blockade is militarily justified and the legality of the blockade is a point of contention.
But
the flotilla argues they are a civilian, unarmed group and that the
passage of humanitarian aid is guaranteed in international law.
The
flotilla's advance comes as Israeli forces killed at least 31
Palestinians in Gaza on Tuesday, local Hamas-run hospitals said, as
questions churned about Trump's peace plan aimed at ending the nearly
two-year war in Gaza.
Hamas announced it would review the proposal with group members and other Palestinian factions before reaching a decision.
While
the proposal offers an end to the fighting, guarantees the flow of
humanitarian aid and promises reconstruction, the Palestinian militant
group will have to disarm, something it has rejected in the past.
Also, Gaza and its more than two million Palestinians would be put under international governance for the foreseeable future.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backs the plan, and several leaders of Arab countries have applauded it.
Israel's
campaign in Gaza has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians and wounded
nearly 170,000 others, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry.
The
ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its
toll, but has said women and children make up around half the dead.
Its
campaign was triggered by Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern
Israel, in which terrorists killed some 1,200 people and abducted 250
others.
Most of the hostages have been freed under previous ceasefire deals.
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