Greta Thunberg and other activists detained as Israeli military intercepts Gaza-bound aid ships
CNN
By Jack Guy, Billy Stockwell, Lex Harvey, Gerardo Lemos, Dana Karni and Abeer Salman
(CNN) — The Israeli military has intercepted dozens of boats sailing as part of an aid flotilla towards Gaza, detaining hundreds of passengers including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, organizers said, and triggering global condemnation.
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) was trying to break Israel’s 18-year blockade of Gaza and get aid into the war-ravaged enclave using ships that set sail from ports across the Mediterranean.
The Israeli foreign ministry said that one last ship remained as of Thursday afternoon.
“One last vessel of this provocation remains at a distance. If it approaches, its attempt to enter an active combat zone and breach the blockade will also be prevented,” the foreign ministry said on X.
The Israeli military said on Thursday that over the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, it had foiled a “large-scale incursion attempt” by 41 ships and that more than 400 people were safely taken to the port of Ashdod to be processed by Israeli police. GSF’s flotilla tracker indicates 41 of its 42 ships are believed to have been intercepted.
Earlier Thursday, Defense Minister Israel Katz congratulated the Israel Defense Forces on “stopping and neutralizing the terror flotilla.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also commended the military personnel involved in the operation, saying: “Their important operation prevented dozens of vessels from entering the war zone and repelled a campaign of delegitimization against Israel.”
Flotilla organizers labeled Israel’s interception of the ships “an illegal attack” on humanitarians, while Israel said the activists were “not interested in aid, but in provocation.”
Here’s what we know about the flotilla.
The interception
The first ships were intercepted and boarded by Israeli forces Wednesday evening local time about 70 nautical miles from Gaza, according to the GSF, which accused Israel of aggressively targeting its vessels.
GSF said on Telegram one vessel was “deliberately rammed” while two others were “targeted with water cannons.” It posted a video it said showed the Yulara vessel being hit with water cannons, adding that nobody on board was harmed.
Israel’s foreign ministry said several vessels had been “safely stopped,” later adding that their passengers were being transported to Israel “where their deportation procedures to Europe will begin.”
“Greta and her friends are safe and healthy,” the ministry earlier said on X, referring to Thunberg who can be seen sitting on the floor surrounded by military personnel in a video accompanying the social media post.
GSF called Israel’s interception of the boats “an illegal attack on unarmed humanitarians.”
International backlash against Israel’s actions was swift, with protesters flooding the streets in Italy and Turkey and foreign leaders voicing their outrage.
The interceptions come just days after US President Donald Trump unveiled his peace proposal to end the war in Gaza alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.
Who is involved and what are their aims?
The flotilla comprises more than 500 participants from dozens of countries aiming to deliver food, water and medicine to civilians in Gaza, according to the organizers.
The convoy set sail from Barcelona, Spain, on August 31 and has been bolstered by other activist ships from various Mediterranean ports as it moved closer to Gaza.
Among the participants are lawmakers from Spain and Italy, as well as Thunberg — who was deported from Israel in June after another Gaza-bound aid boat she was on was intercepted by Israel.
Nearly two years into Israel’s war in the enclave, Gaza has been gripped by escalating death and hunger as Israel blocks much-needed aid from reaching Palestinians. In August, the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification reported parts of Gaza are experiencing a “man-made” famine.
James Smith, a British doctor who has previously been on the flotilla, said he joined to protest “Israel’s illegal siege and blockade of Gaza.”
“The flotilla is carrying humanitarian aid, but it’s not simply humanitarian,” Smith told CNN’s Lynda Kinkade.
“It is a form of direct action, it’s a form of anti-colonial resistance,” said Smith, who also worked at al-Aqsa hospital in Gaza for 2.5 months.
How has Israel responded to the flotilla?
Hours before the ships were intercepted Wednesday, Israel’s foreign ministry said its navy had contacted the flotilla and “asked them to change course.”
“Israel has informed the flotilla that it is approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval blockade,” the ministry posted on X. The “sole purpose” of the flotilla was “provocation,” it claimed.
The ministry earlier said it has repeatedly offered alternative routes for the aid to enter Gaza, including a transfer via the port of Ashkelon in Israel.
However, the flotilla’s organizers had told CNN that they “will not be accepting the offer to give the aid to anyone other than the intended recipients, which are the civilians in Gaza.”
Last week, GSF said some of its vessels were targeted by Israeli drones, prompting Italy and Spain to deploy ships to help the flotilla.
The Israeli military did not respond to a CNN request for comment on the alleged drone attacks, but Israel’s foreign ministry has said that it has found documents in Gaza that “prove Hamas’s direct involvement” in the funding and execution of the flotilla. GSF dismissed these claims as “propaganda.”
What has the international response been?
The US State Department condemned the flotilla, calling it “a deliberate and unnecessary provocation.” Regarding Americans who were onboard the intercepted vessels, a department official said they “take (their) commitment to assist U.S. citizens seriously and are monitoring the situation.”
But in Europe and elsewhere, there have been widespread protests in solidarity with the flotilla and condemnation of its interception by Israeli forces.
Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in Italy, Turkey, Greece, Tunisia, and Argentina after the Israeli forces intercepted the vessels.
In Italy, protesters took to the streets in cities including Rome, Pisa, Florence and Turin Wednesday evening, while a major Italian labor union called for a national general strike on Friday, across public and private sectors, in solidarity with the flotilla and the people of Gaza.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters at her morning press conference on Thursday that six Mexican citizens were in Israeli custody after the flotilla interception. She added that Mexico had sent four diplomatic notes to Israel over the past three days requesting information about the safety of Mexicans aboard the flotilla.
“Obviously, we are against this situation,” Sheinbaum said. “Humanitarian aid must reach Gaza, and our Mexican compatriots – all of them, but especially our nationals – must be repatriated immediately because they have committed no crime.”
Turkey’s foreign ministry called the interception an “act of terrorism” as protests broke out in Istanbul.
Hamas called it a “treacherous assault and an act of piracy.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro called the interception an “international crime” by Netanyahu, and said he would expel Israeli diplomats from his country.
Petro also cast doubt on Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, calling it “a peace plan with people already dead from starvation.”
After the interception, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of the participants and “guarantee their right to consular protection.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said “the matter should end without damage,” providing no one “makes any mistakes.”
Tajani claimed Israel’s government had given its military clear instructions: “No acts of violence against the people aboard the flotilla.”
What has happened to previous aid flotillas?
Overseas activists have tried to deliver aid in the past to Gaza but have either been intercepted by Israeli forces or come under some form of attack.
Another Gaza-bound aid ship carrying Thunberg and other prominent activists, from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, was intercepted by Israel in June, with the passengers detained and subsequently deported.
In May, activists on board an FCC ship said they were targeted by an Israeli drone in international waters off Malta.
The Israeli military did not deny involvement in the drone attack and an Israeli Air Force cargo plane was picked up on flight trackers circling the waters near Malta for an extended period of time before the claimed attack, according to flight-tracking website ADS-B Exchange.
In a previous deadly incident, Israeli forces attacked an aid flotilla in international waters in 2010, killing nine Turkish nationals and sparking outrage around the world. A tenth person died of wounds sustained in the attack in 2014, after spending four years in a coma.
This story has been updated.
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CNN’s Sharon Braithwaite, Niamh Kennedy and Antonia Mortensen contributed to this report.
