A sign reading "Israel is a terror State" is held up next to a Palestinian flag during a protest demanding the release of the participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla detained by Israel and calling for an end to the Israeli occupation, on the second anniversary of Israel's war on Gaza in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Oct. 7, 2025. (Photo: Aline Massuca/Reuters)
The organizers of a new Gaza-bound aid flotilla said the Israeli army intercepted at least three of its boats on Wednesday.
"Three vessels — Gaza Sunbirds, Alaa Al-Najjar and Anas Al-Sharif — have been attacked and illegally intercepted by the Israeli military" in the early morning, 220 kilometres (around 140 miles) off the coast of Gaza, the Global Sumud Flotilla said on X.
It said another ship, the Conscience, carrying more than 90 journalists, doctors and activists, was also "under attack," while its crew on the Milad "are being illegally abducted by Israel."
The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed it had intercepted boats entering waters it says fall under its blockade of the war-torn Palestinian territory.
"Another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone ended in nothing. The vessels and the passengers are transferred to an Israeli port," it said on social media. "All the passengers are safe and in good health. The passengers are expected to be deported promptly," it added.
The Palestinian solidarity group Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the boats were carrying "vital aid worth over $110,000 in medicines, respiratory equipment and nutritional supplies that were destined for Gaza's starving hospitals".
Israel has blocked several international aid flotillas in recent months from reaching Gaza, where local residents, the U.N. and other organizations confirm imposed famine has set in.
Last week Israeli naval forces stopped another Global Sumud Flotilla of around 45 vessels, carrying politicians and activists including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.
The move drew mass protests across Europe, while Hamas called the interception a "crime of piracy and maritime terrorism."
Hundreds of thousands of protesters joined Palestine solidarity marches in cities across the world last weekend, calling for the release of the flotilla activists and an immediate end to the war which has killed at least 67,160 people, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
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