Israeli military intercepts another flotilla heading to Gaza and detains
scores of activists
[October 08, 2025]
By MELANIE LIDMAN and RENATA BRITO
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military intercepted a nine-boat
flotilla trying to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza early Wednesday
in the Mediterranean Sea and detained scores of activists on board, the
flotilla organizers and the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry said the 145 activists taking part in the Freedom Flotilla
Coalition & Thousand Madleens to Gaza, were in good health and were
being brought to shore in Israel for processing. They are then expected
to be deported.
The interception came after nearly 450 activists from a previous
flotilla — including European lawmakers and climate activist Greta
Thunberg — were intercepted on more than 40 boats last week trying to
reach Gaza with a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid.
While most of the activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla have been
deported, six of its activists — from Norway, Morocco and Spain — remain
detained in Israel, lawyers representing them said late Tuesday.
The organizers of this latest flotilla decried the new detentions on
Wednesday as “arbitrary and unlawful.”
The activists on board the nine-vessel group included doctors,
politicians, lawmakers from Turkey and Denmark. A passenger list posted
on the flotilla's website also shows two Israeli citizens aboard their
largest boat, the Conscience.
The flotilla was carrying some food and medical aid destined for Gaza
hospitals. Mélissa Camara, a French lawmaker in the European parliament
was also on board.
“Another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a
combat zone ended in nothing,” the Foreign Ministry wrote on X.
Organizers said the fleet was intercepted around 120 nautical miles off
the coast of Gaza. Cameras aboard the vessels, one large passenger ship
and eight smaller sailboats, broadcast the interceptions live. The boats
could be seen being approached by fast-moving ships and then boarded by
Israeli troops, who then cut off the broadcast. Activists also said an
Israeli helicopter flew over them. No injuries were reported.
Turkey strongly condemned and called Israel’s latest interception in
international waters an “act of piracy.” Its Foreign Ministry said
Wednesday it was a serious violation of international law and accused
Israel of escalating tensions and undermining peace efforts.
Turkey has launched diplomatic efforts to secure the immediate release
and safe return of its citizens and was coordinating with other
countries regarding the status of other activists, the statement said.
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This image obtained from live stream footage from Gaza Sunbird
vessel, one of the nine boats taking part in the Freedom Flotilla
Coalition & Thousand Madleens to Gaza, shows an Israeli soldier
trying to reach the camera onboard Gaza Sunbird vessel, in Eastern
Mediterranean sea, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. (Freedom Flotilla
Coalition via AP)
The interceptions last week of the Global Sumud Flotilla drew
widespread condemnation and sparked large protests in several major
cities and a one-day strike across Italy.
Some of the deported activists had described mistreatment at the
hands of Israeli guards, claims that Israel denies.
The flotillas to Gaza came amid surging criticism of Israel's
conduct in Gaza, where its offensive in the war against Hamas has
laid waste wide swaths of territory and killed tens of thousands of
people.
Israel and Hamas are currently in the third day of indirect
negotiations in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm Al-Sheikh, along
with high-level leaders from international delegations, including
the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.
The war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on
Oct. 7, 2023. The militants killed some 1,200 people that day, while
251 others were abducted. Forty-eight hostages are still held in
Gaza — around 20 believed to be alive.
Israel’s ensuing campaign has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians,
according to Gaza’s 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.
Israel has maintained varying degrees of blockade on the Gaza Strip
since Hamas seized power in the coastal territory in 2007, saying it
is necessary to contain the militant group. Critics deride the
policy as collective punishment.
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 ½ months, contributing
to Gaza’s slide into famine.
Flotilla activists say they want to break Israel's blockade and
establish a humanitarian corridor by sea, given the little aid that
reaches Gaza by land. They have vowed to try again.
___
Brito reported from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press writer Suzan
Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
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