The Israeli military began intercepting vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) on Monday morning in international waters near Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea, approximately 250 miles from Gaza.
Some 34 boats have been intercepted, according to GSF’s live tracker. GSF in Turkey has begun reporting arrests and the “kidnapping” of its activists, sharing their pre-recorded video messages.
Shortly before 11:00 am EEST, the flotilla announced on X that “military vessels are currently intercepting our fleet and Israeli occupation forces are storming the first of our ships in broad daylight,” calling on governments to immediately act to halt illegal actions and piracy aimed at maintaining Israel’s deadly blockade on Gaza.
Four Israeli warships approached the flotilla and ordered the vessels to cut their engines as around 100 flotilla participants were arrested, according to Al Jazeera.
The interception follows an earlier threat on Monday morning by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which said it “will not allow any breach of the legal naval blockade on Gaza.”
The ministry urged the boats to change course “immediately,” following a security meeting chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to approve the interception plan.
In a statement published on X, the Israeli Foreign Ministry dismissed the flotilla as “a provocation for the sake of provocation,” insisting it carried no humanitarian aid, and accusing it of serving Hamas, diverting attention from the group’s refusal to disarm, and obstructing progress on President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
The flotilla departed from the Turkish port of Marmaris last Thursday with 54 boats and around 500 international activists, days after Israel intercepted the first convoy near the Greek island of Crete, approximately 1,000 kilometers from Gaza.
Israel has intercepted the Sumud flotilla multiple times over the past year, including in October 2025 when it used drones to attack its vessels, seizing them and detaining participants before deporting them.
These developments come amid ongoing Israeli violations of the ceasefire agreement reached last October, which have resulted in 877 deaths and 2,602 injuries, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza.
