The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) reported that its fleet was boarded about 250 nautical miles from Gaza, under Israeli maritime blockade. Video streams showed commandos climbing onto several boats.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the raid, saying it neutralized a plan to break Hamas’s isolation. Israel’s foreign ministry insisted the blockade was lawful, dismissing the flotilla as a provocation with ties to Turkish groups including IHH, linked to the deadly 2010 Mavi Marmara incident.
Activists argued their mission was humanitarian
aiming to deliver aid to Gaza’s 2.1 million residents, many displaced and living in dire conditions. The UN recently warned of overcrowded shelters, poor sanitation, and restricted humanitarian access.
Turkey condemned the raid as piracy, while flotilla organizers demanded safe passage. Reports indicated 10 vessels were intercepted, with contact lost with 23 others. More than 420 activists from 39 countries were involved.
Israel claimed Gaza was already “flooded with aid,” citing over 1.5 million tonnes of supplies delivered in recent months. Activists countered that restrictions and shortages continued to undermine humanitarian operations.
The confrontation comes amid ongoing fallout from the Gaza war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people. Israel’s military campaign has since killed more than 72,000 in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
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