A group of vessels attempting to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters on Wednesday, the coalition behind the convoy said, the second such interception in the past week.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is an international network of pro-Palestinian activist groups that organizes civilian maritime missions aimed at breaking Israel's blockade of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the enclave, a blockade Israel considers lawful.
The flotilla's vessels - the Conscience, and eight sailboats of the Thousands Madleens - and its approximately 145 passengers were safe, had been transferred to an Israeli port and were expected to be deported promptly, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on X/Twitter. It had sailed from Italy about two weeks ago.
A 'futile attempt'
“Another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone ended in nothing,” the ministry said.
Adalah, a legal aid group that has been consistently advocating for and representing activists abroad different mission flotillas over the past few months, said on Wednesday, “Before losing all communication early this morning, participants aboard the Conscience - primarily doctors, nurses, and journalists - reported being attacked by an Israeli military helicopter, while Israeli naval forces simultaneously intercepted and boarded the Thousands Madleens sailboats.”
It added, “The vessels were located approximately 120 nautical miles from Gaza, deep in international waters, when the attack took place.” Adalah said it would represent these activists as well.
The interception follows a series of similar maritime confrontations in recent weeks. On Thursday, Israel stopped the 42-ship Global Sumud Flotilla, which carried 479 activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg. Nearly all of those detained have since been deported.
The FFC said Israeli forces “hijacked the humanitarian fleet,” adding that the “ships were illegally intercepted ... Participants - humanitarians, doctors and journalists from across the world - have been taken against their will and are being held in unknown conditions.”
It added, on its Instagram page, that the Israeli military was jamming signals with at least two boats being boarded.
“The Israeli military has no legal jurisdiction over international waters,” it said. “Our flotilla poses no harm.”
The ships carried aid worth more than $110,000 in medicines, respiratory equipment and nutritional supplies intended for Gaza's starving hospitals, it added on its Instagram account.
The IDF has not yet commented on the incident.
Gaza health authorities say about 67,000 people have been killed and the Palestinian enclave devastated by Israel's war on Hamas, since the terrorist group launched and led the cross-border massacre on October 7, 2023 that left 1,200 people dead.
Two hundred and fifty-one people were kidnapped to Gaza, 48 of whom Hamas continues to hold as a bargaining chip to demand the full withdrawal of the Israeli military from the enclave.
Documents found in Gaza and released by the Foreign Ministry trace direct Hamas involvement in organizing and financing the Sumud flotilla. Israel said the boats carried no aid and accused participants of seeking confrontation rather than delivering humanitarian relief.
Only seven activists remain in custody, including a Spanish national accused of biting an Israel Prison Service officer.
Israel and Egypt have maintained restrictions on Gaza to prevent weapons smuggling since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007. Since then, Palestinian activists have periodically launched flotillas to challenge the blockade. In 2011, an independent UN inquiry into the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident criticized Israeli forces for using excessive force but upheld the blockade’s legality.
Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.