KEY POINTS
- Israeli forces intercepted a Gaza aid flotilla of over 40 boats carrying food, medicine.
- Over 500 activists included Greta Thunberg and Pakistan’s ex-senator Mushtaq Ahmed.
- Global Sumud Flotilla said 443 activists from 47 countries were “seized”.
- Flotilla reported activists being hit with water cannons and sewage water.
- Detainees taken to Ashdod port, then Ketziot Prison, before deportation.
- Protests erupted in Italy, Colombia, Ireland, Greece, and Turkiye.
- Colombia expelled Israeli diplomats; South Africa, Spain, and others summoned envoys.
- Pakistan condemned the “dastardly attack,” demanding release of its citizen.
- Gaza humanitarian crisis deepens, with 66,225 Palestinians killed since Oct 2023.
GAZA CITY, Palestine: Israeli forces on Wednesday night intercepted and seized a Gaza aid flotilla of more than 40 civilian boats carrying food, medicine, and nearly 500 international activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg and Pakistan’s former senator Mushtaq Ahmed, triggering protests and strong condemnation worldwide on Thursday.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail in late August, was stopped about 70 nautical miles off Gaza on Wednesday night.
Footage broadcast live from the ships and verified by Reuters showed Israeli commandos in helmets and night-vision gear boarding the vessels, while activists in life jackets raised their hands in surrender.
A video released by Israel’s foreign ministry showed Thunberg seated on deck surrounded by soldiers.
The flotilla organisers said the convoy was transporting food and medicines for the Palestinian people in besieged Gaza. According to their tracker, at least 21 of the 44 boats had been seized by Thursday morning, while others continued sailing towards Gaza.
“All passengers are safe and in good health. They are being taken to Israel, from where they will be deported to Europe,” the Israeli foreign ministry said on X, adding that one remaining vessel could also be stopped.
Activists detained and facing deportation
Human rights organisation Adalah said detainees were being moved to Ashdod port and would then be transferred to Ketziot Prison in southern Israel before deportation.
“Our main concern is their well-being and ensuring they receive legal advice before hearings in the Immigration Tribunal,” said Suhad Bishara, Adalah’s legal director.
Organisers said those detained had refused to eat food provided by Israeli forces. They denounced the raid as a “war crime” and vowed to continue their campaign, insisting the flotilla remained a non-violent humanitarian mission.
Despite the interception, flotilla organisers vowed to continue their campaign, urging worldwide protests. On its official X account, the movement said: In the next six hours, the Global Sumud Flotilla movement will deliver a resounding message to the entire world as its ships dock in Gaza: Breaking the siege was always possible. The whole world is complicit in witnessing the Gaza genocide and not doing anything about it!!!
The Global Sumud Flotilla said in a post on X that 443 activists from 47 countries had been seized, claiming that participants were hit overnight with water cannons and sprayed with sewage water in an attempt to thwart their mission to reach Gaza and “break the siege.
UPDATE:
THE NUMBER OF ACTIVISTS SEIZED FROM THE #GlobalSumudFlotilla FLEET HAS BEEN CONFIRMED TO BE 443 FROM 47 COUNTRIES. ACTIVISTS WERE HIT OVERNIGHT WITH WATER CANNONS AND DOSED WITH SEWAGE WATER IN AN ATTEMPT TO FRUSTRATE THEIR EFFORTS TO REACH #GAZA AND #BreakTheSiege! pic.twitter.com/tjZU6dk2vM
— Global Sumud Flotilla ✨ (@GSMFlotilla) October 2, 2025
Tracking data earlier showed that 20 of the 44 vessels had been seized by Israeli forces by 5:28am local time.
Global protests and strikes
The raid triggered protests in Italy, Colombia, Ireland, Greece and Turkiye. Thousands took to the streets in Rome, Naples and Milan late Wednesday, with Italian unions calling a nationwide strike on Friday.
Italian media estimated that 10,000 people joined a march in Rome. “The aggression against civilian ships carrying Italian citizens is an extremely serious matter,” the CGIL union said in a statement.
In Colombia, President Gustavo Petro ordered the expulsion of Israel’s entire diplomatic delegation and terminated the country’s free trade agreement with Israel after two Colombians were detained.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa also condemned the interception as a “grave offence” against international law, demanding the release of South Africans aboard, including Nelson Mandela’s grandson Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela.
Govts summon Israeli envoys
Spain, which said 65 of its citizens were on the flotilla, summoned Israel’s chargé d’affaires to lodge a protest. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares reiterated Madrid’s demand for Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza.
Britain’s Foreign Office said it was in touch with British nationals aboard and urged Israel to hand the aid over to humanitarian organisations. “Israel bears responsibility for the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” it said.
Australia said its nationals were among the detainees and called for “safety and humane treatment” of activists.
Brazil condemned the raid as a violation of rights and said Israel was responsible for 15 Brazilian citizens on board.
Turkiye denounced the raid as “terrorism” and its prosecutor opened an investigation into the detention of 24 Turkish citizens.
Pakistan condemns “dastardly attack”
Pakistan strongly condemned what it called a “dastardly attack” on the flotilla. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X: “This barbarity must end. Peace must be given a chance and humanitarian aid must reach those in need.”
The Foreign Office said the interception was a “flagrant violation of international law” and demanded the immediate release of all detainees, including former senator Mushtaq Ahmed.
Symbol of resistance to Gaza blockade
The flotilla, carrying parliamentarians, lawyers and human rights activists from 47 countries, is the most high-profile sea-borne challenge to Israel’s blockade of Gaza in years.
Its journey across the Mediterranean drew international attention, with Turkiye, Spain and Italy earlier deploying naval or rescue vessels in case their nationals required assistance.
Hamas described the raid as a “criminal act” and urged global protests.
Former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called it “a flagrant breach of international law” and urged Britain to impose sanctions on Israel.
Despite the interception, flotilla organisers vowed to press ahead. “Breaking the siege was always possible,” they said in a statement. “The whole world is complicit in watching Gaza’s genocide and doing nothing.”
Humanitarian crisis in Gaza
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023. Since then, more than 66,225 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities.
The enclave remains under an Israeli blockade, with international agencies warning of famine and collapse of basic services.
Israeli tanks blocked the main road to Gaza City, preventing those who have left the besieged city from returning, and Defence Minister Israel Katz said it was now the last chance for hundreds of thousands of people still inside to escape.
Israel has told the entire population of Gaza City to head south as it mounts one of the biggest offensives of the war this month.
“This is the last opportunity for Gaza residents who wish to do so to move south and leave Hamas operatives isolated in Gaza City itself in the face of the IDF’s continuing full-scale operations,” Israeli Defence Minister Katz said in a statement.
