Israeli navy begins intercepting Gaza-bound international aid flotilla

The Israeli military intercepted vessels from the international Gaza-bound aid flotilla late Wednesday. The flotilla aimed to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of the enclave and deliver aid to the Gaza Strip, according to organizers of the aid mission.

“Vessels have been boarded by military personnel,” the organizers said in an X post at 9:48 p.m. Gaza time (2:48 p.m. ET). “We are actively working to confirm the safety and status of all participants on board." 

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said at around 11:00 p.m. Israel time (4:00 p.m. ET) that several vessels had been “safely stopped,” and that passengers were being transferred to an Israeli port. The organizers had previously reported that some vessels were intercepted in international waters while others were unaccounted for, with the flotilla’s last known position about 70 nautical miles from Gaza.

The organizers had posted shortly after 8:30 p.m. Gaza time (1:30 p.m. ET) that they detected more than 20 unidentified vessels 3 nautical miles from their fleet. The Israeli military did not immediately comment. 

The Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian mission organized by the international pro-Palestinian activist network Freedom Flotilla Coalition, comprised roughly 50 vessels and was launched from Barcelona in August.

Hundreds of activists from dozens of countries, including Turkey, Spain and Italy, aimed to take a stance against the Israeli government's policies and deliver some emergency supplies to Gaza, which is grappling with widespread hunger, according to numerous international human rights organizations.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry called the flotilla a "provocation" earlier on Wednesday, referring to it as the "Hamas-Sumud flotilla."

"Israel, Italy, Greece and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem have all offered and continue to offer the flotilla a way to peacefully deliver any aid they might have to Gaza. The flotilla refused because they are not interested in aid, but in provocation," the ministry wrote in a post on X.

Italy and Greece previously offered the ship the opportunity to hand over the aid to the Catholic Church.

The activists are expected to be brought to Ashdod Port in southern Israel and will be deported from the country later Thursday, according to local Israeli reports. 

Italy, Spain and Turkey deployed their navy frigates in the vicinity of the flotilla to assist in search-and-rescue operations in the event of an emergency. 

However, Italian officials said earlier this week that their frigates would stop shadowing the flotilla, urging the activists to deliver the aid to an Egyptian port instead of attempting to breach the blockade. The activists refused to heed these calls, despite repeated warnings from Israel that it would not allow the flotilla to break the blockade.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni accused the activists of serving as tools for those seeking to derail US-led ceasefire efforts. “The truth is simple: This aid can be delivered safely through the established channels,” she wrote on X. “Insisting on forcing a naval blockade means making oneself — knowingly or not — an instrument of those determined to sabotage any chance of a ceasefire.”

Another boat carrying activists attempted to deliver aid to Gaza in June but was intercepted by Israeli authorities. The mostly European activists and journalists accompanying them were ultimately deported by Israel. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who is currently sailing with the flotilla, was aboard the ship in June.

This developing story has been updated.