Israeli naval forces on Wednesday intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of around 45 vessels carrying aid, politicians, and activists — including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg — as it attempted to break the blockade of Gaza.
The flotilla, which left Spain last month, was stopped in international waters, according to both the organisers and the Israeli foreign ministry. The group said communications were lost with several vessels following the interception.
Already several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port.
Greta and her friends are safe and healthy. pic.twitter.com/PA1ezier9s— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) October 1, 2025
Israeli Forces Stop Vessels, Flotilla Leaders Cry “Illegal” Boarding
“Around 8:30 pm Gaza time (1730 GMT), 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,” the flotilla said in a statement.
The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed the operation, stating, “Several vessels of the… flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port.” It added: “Greta and her friends are safe and healthy,” posting a video of Thunberg retrieving her belongings.
Earlier, the Israeli navy had issued warnings to the flotilla against entering waters under its blockade.
International Responses and Growing Tensions
Spain and Italy, which both sent naval escorts, urged the flotilla to halt before entering the exclusion zone declared by Israel, extending 150 nautical miles off Gaza. “Our message to the flotilla has been clear: do not enter that zone,” Spain’s digital transformation minister Oscar Lopez said.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also called on activists to stop, saying the mission could jeopardise US President Donald Trump’s proposed Gaza peace plan. “In the face of a historic opportunity, I cannot understand the insistence on an initiative that carries elements of danger and irresponsibility,” she said.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s foreign minister denounced the interception as “an act of terrorism that constitutes the most serious violation of international law and endangers the lives of innocent civilians.”
South Africa also urged “utmost restraint and caution against any unilateral actions that could escalate the situation or endanger human life,” while Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the activists “do not represent a danger or a threat to Israel,” hoping Israel would not endanger the flotilla.
The Global Sumud Flotilla included prominent figures such as Mandla Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, and Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian European Parliament member.
