{"id":273190,"date":"2025-10-03T00:27:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T00:27:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/273190\/"},"modified":"2025-10-03T00:27:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T00:27:14","slug":"israeli-navy-intercepts-gaza-bound-flotilla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/273190\/","title":{"rendered":"Israeli navy intercepts Gaza-bound flotilla"},"content":{"rendered":"

JERUSALEM (AP) \u2014 Hundreds of Israeli police officers were deployed Thursday to the southern port of Ashdod to process some 450 international activists detained by Israeli naval forces hours earlier<\/a> in the Mediterranean Sea, Israeli authorities said.<\/p>\n

The activists, including European lawmakers, were taking part of a flotilla attempting to break Israel\u2019s blockade of Gaza<\/a> when their vessels were intercepted, drawing widespread condemnation and sparking protests around the world.<\/p>\n

The Global Sumud Flotilla<\/a> was the largest yet to try to break the blockade, and it comes at a time of growing criticism of Israel\u2019s conduct in Gaza<\/a>, where its offensive has laid waste to wide swaths of territory and killed tens of thousands of people.<\/p>\n

Activists had said they hoped that the sheer number of boats would make it more difficult for Israeli authorities to intercept them all \u2014 but Israel\u2019s Foreign Ministry declared the operation over on Thursday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Israeli police shared a video showing some 600 officers working on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur<\/a>, considered the holiest in the Jewish calendar, to register the detained activists ahead of their expected deportations.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Watch live view from on board a flotilla of boats carrying activists from dozens of countries and a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid as it sails toward Gaza seeking to break Israel\u2019s blockade.<\/p>\n

Widespread protests<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People demonstrate in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Milan, Italy, after ships were intercepted by the Israeli navy. (Marco Ottico\/LaPresse via AP)<\/p>\n

People demonstrate in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Milan, Italy, after ships were intercepted by the Israeli navy. (Marco Ottico\/LaPresse via AP)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Thousands of people supporting the flotilla took to the streets in several major cities<\/a> after news of the interception broke to decry the Israeli operation and the ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip.<\/a> Italy\u2019s largest union called for a one-day general strike on Friday.<\/p>\n

While the majority of marches were peaceful, clashes erupted between police and pro-Palestinian protestors in Paris and in Barcelona, Spain.<\/p>\n

The flotilla, which started out with more than 40 boats and some 450 activists, was carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Its main goal, they said, remained \u201cto break Israel\u2019s illegal siege and end the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s Foreign Ministry dismissed it as a \u201cprovocation,\u201d saying that various countries have offered to deliver the aid the boats were carrying. Israel has come under intense criticism for how much aid it lets into Gaza and how it distributes the goods. It has vehemently denied it is committing genocide.<\/p>\n

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a> commended his nation\u2019s navy and soldiers for stopping the flotilla on Yom Kippur, saying in a statement that \u201cTheir important action prevented dozens of vessels from entering the war zone and repelled a campaign of delegitimization against Israel.\u201d <\/p>\n

Flotilla organizers said at least 41 of their boats were intercepted or assumed intercepted in the nightlong Israeli operation. Israeli authorities later said only one boat remained \u201cat a distance\u201d and would be intercepted if it approached. <\/p>\n

The flotilla has streamed its voyage online via live cameras aboard different boats<\/a>, though most connections were lost as Israeli authorities began boarding them in international waters on Wednesday evening. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Activists<\/p>\n

Activists in orange life jackets sit aboard a Gaza-bound Sumud flotilla boat as Israeli navy soldiers sail it into the port of Ashdod, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, after it was intercepted while approaching the Gaza coast. (AP Photo\/Leo Correa)<\/p>\n

Activists in orange life jackets sit aboard a Gaza-bound Sumud flotilla boat as Israeli navy soldiers sail it into the port of Ashdod, Israel, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025, after it was intercepted while approaching the Gaza coast. (AP Photo\/Leo Correa)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

An ongoing war and an even longer blockade<\/p>\n

The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, triggered this war. Militants killed some 1,200 people that day, while 251 others were abducted. Forty-eight hostages are still held in Gaza \u2014 around 20 believed to be alive.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s ensuing campaign has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza\u2019s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its toll. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and whose figures are viewed by experts as the most reliable estimate, has said women and children make up around half the dead. <\/p>\n

Israel has maintained varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power in 2007, saying it is necessary to contain the militant group. Critics deride the policy as collective punishment.<\/p>\n

After the war started, Israel tightened the blockade but eased up later under U.S. pressure. In March, it sealed the territory off from all food, medicine and other goods for 2 \u00bd months, contributing to Gaza\u2019s slide into famine.<\/p>\n

The flotilla said it wanted to establish a humanitarian corridor by sea, given the little aid that was reaching Gaza by land. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This combination of images released by the Israeli Foreign Ministry shows Greta Thunberg, second from right, with other flotilla activists after the Israeli navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Israeli Foreign Ministry via AP)<\/p>\n

This combination of images released by the Israeli Foreign Ministry shows Greta Thunberg, second from right, with other flotilla activists after the Israeli navy intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. (Israeli Foreign Ministry via AP)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Activists and European lawmakers detained<\/p>\n

Israeli forces detained and removed dozens of people \u2014 including Greta Thunberg<\/a>, former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau and European Parliament member Rima Hassan \u2014 from the flotilla.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s Foreign Ministry posted photos and videos of some of the detainees saying in a statement that they were \u201csafe and in good health\u201d and would be transferred to Israel for deportation.<\/p>\n

Earlier, live broadcasts from the activists showed Israeli boats approaching their vessels, spraying them with water canons and flashing bright lights before troops boarded the flotilla.<\/p>\n

Anticipating the interceptions, activists wearing life jackets sat in circles and raised their hands in the air. Some managed to stream the moment live from their cellphones before tossing their devices into the sea.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A woman waves Turkish and Palestinian flags during a sit-in gathering against the interception of the Gaza-bound Sumud flotilla by Israeli navy forces, in Istanbul, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. The board reads in Turkish: \u201cWe stand with Palestine\u201d. (AP Photo\/Francisco Seco)<\/p>\n

A woman waves Turkish and Palestinian flags during a sit-in gathering against the interception of the Gaza-bound Sumud flotilla by Israeli navy forces, in Istanbul, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. The board reads in Turkish: \u201cWe stand with Palestine\u201d. (AP Photo\/Francisco Seco)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Many decry flotilla\u2019s interception<\/p>\n

Turkey, Colombia, Pakistan and others condemned Israel\u2019s interception of the flotilla. <\/p>\n

Italy, France, Poland and other European nations, which had warned the activists not to continue the journey and avoid confrontation with Israel, said they were working with Israeli diplomatic authorities to ensure their citizens were transferred to land and deported home swiftly. <\/p>\n

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one of Israel\u2019s staunchest allies, on Thursday slammed Italian unions for their decision to call a general strike on Friday in solidarity with the flotilla.<\/p>\n

\u201cI continue to believe that all this brings no benefit to the Palestinian people. On the other hand, I understand that it will bring a lot of problems to Italian citizens,\u201d Meloni told reporters upon her arrival in Copenhagen for a summit.<\/p>\n

Turkey\u2019s Foreign Ministry described the interceptions as an \u201cact of terrorism\u201d and a severe breach of international law in a statement late Wednesday. <\/p>\n

The detention of activists was part of Israel\u2019s \u201congoing aggression,\u201d the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said, adding that Israel\u2019s blockade of Gaza had caused \u201cimmense suffering\u201d for more than 2 million Palestinians in the strip.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This frame grab from video released by the Global Sumud Flotilla shows Israeli navy soldiers aboard one of the flotilla\u2019s vessels after it was intercepted as it approached the coast of Gaza early Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (Global Sumud Flotilla via AP)<\/p>\n

This frame grab from video released by the Global Sumud Flotilla shows Israeli navy soldiers aboard one of the flotilla\u2019s vessels after it was intercepted as it approached the coast of Gaza early Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (Global Sumud Flotilla via AP)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Israel has argued its actions constitute a lawful naval blockade needed to prevent Hamas<\/a> from importing arms, while critics consider it collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza.<\/p>\n

Whether the blockade is militarily justified is a point of contention. But the flotilla argues they are a civilian, unarmed group and that the passage of humanitarian aid is guaranteed under international law.<\/p>\n

Colombian President Gustavo Petro<\/a> announced late Wednesday that his government would expel Israel\u2019s diplomatic delegation in the South American country and terminate a free trade agreement with Israel over the interception. Two Colombian citizens are taking part in the flotilla. <\/p>\n

Petro has repeatedly described Israel\u2019s siege of Gaza as an act of genocide, something Israel vehemently denies. <\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Brito reported from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press journalists Giada Zampano in Rome; Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey; Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JERUSALEM (AP) \u2014 Hundreds of Israeli police officers were deployed Thursday to the southern port of Ashdod to…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":273191,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[97,9600,372,75904,70,4526,57,18890,37440,106224,95233,4527,409,99,3462,373,3463,50,80,402,103,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-273190","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-2024-2025-mideast-wars","9":"tag-activism","10":"tag-benjamin-netanyahu","11":"tag-blockades","12":"tag-gaza","13":"tag-gaza-strip","14":"tag-general-news","15":"tag-genocide","16":"tag-giorgia-meloni","17":"tag-greta-thunberg","18":"tag-gustavo-petro","19":"tag-hamas","20":"tag-immigration","21":"tag-israel","22":"tag-israel-government","23":"tag-israel-hamas-war","24":"tag-mideast-wars","25":"tag-news","26":"tag-politics","27":"tag-protests-and-demonstrations","28":"tag-world","29":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115307403473395392","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}