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GLOBAL SUMUD FLOTILLA: LATEST BID TO BREAK GAZA BLOCKADE DREW
ACTIVISTS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD  
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FRANCE 24 with AP and AFP
October 2, 2025
France 24
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_ The Global Sumud Flotilla the latest humanitarian mission to try to
breach Israel’s maritime blockade of Gaza drew around 500
participants from nearly 50 countries. Israeli forces intercepted the
mission in international waters on Wednesday evening. _

Frame grab from video released by the Global Sumud Flotilla shows
Israeli navy soldiers aboard one of the flotilla's vessels after it
was intercepted as it approached the coast of Gaza early today (Oct.
2)., Global Sumud Flotilla/AP // NPR

 

Israeli forces have intercepted an international flotilla
carrying activists
[[link removed]] seeking to break
Israel’s blockade of the Palestinian territory
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dozens of people.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which was carrying a symbolic amount
of humanitarian aid
[[link removed]], said most of
its vessels were intercepted or assumed intercepted after
communication with those on board was lost by Thursday morning in an
Israeli operation that began the night before.

Around 500 activists from 47 countries participated in the flotilla,
according to organisers.

Macron calls on Israel to 'respect' international law

French President Emmanuel Macron
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on Israeli authorities to “respect” international law regarding
the Gaza aid flotilla and to ensure that French nationals aboard the
boats are “protected”.

“We ask that all our compatriots who have made this choice – a
commitment in the face of a situation that we have denounced in an
official manner and in response to which we are taking action and wish
to continue to take action – be protected,” said Macron.

Speaking at a press briefing following an EU summit in Copenhagen,
Macron stressed that “all the rules must be respected” and that
French nationals on board the flotilla “must be protected”.

He added that he was following the situation “extremely closely”
with other concerned European partners, particular Italy and Spain.

“Nothing can justify operations that do not comply with
international law,” said Macron.

Echoing Macron’s call, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum
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“immediate” repatriation of six Mexican members of the Gaza
flotilla intercepted by Israel
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“They must be released immediately because they have committed no
crime. They must be repatriated immediately and we, of course, must
provide them with all the necessary support,” Sheinbaum said at her
morning press conference.

She said the Mexican activists are in the southern Israeli port of
Ashdod, where Mexican consular support has been unable to reach them.
Her government has sent four diplomatic notes to Israel regarding the
matter, Sheinbaum added.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
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government would “do everything in our power” to ensure that 40
Italian citizens on board the flotilla can return to Italy as soon as
possible.

“That said (...) I still believe that none of this benefits the
Palestinian people,” she added.

“I understand that this is causing a lot of inconvenience for the
Italian people,” she continued, referring to the call for a general
strike by the main Italian unions on Friday after the flotilla was
intercepted.

Targeted by drones on the journey

Since setting sail from Spain
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participants had reported three separate instances of being targeted
by drones [[link removed]] during the
flotilla's journey toward Gaza. Spain and Italy
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the flotilla for a part of its journey, but had urged activists to
turn back and avoid confrontation with Israel
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The nearly 2-year Israel-Hamas war in Gaza
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humanitarian catastrophe in the territory that has seen much of it
reduced to rubble. The world’s leading authority on the food
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Gaza City, the enclave's largest city.

Activists hope their actions will focus attention on the Palestinians'
plight. The flotilla is the largest attempt, in terms of the number of
boats, to break Israel’s maritime blockade of Gaza, which has now
lasted 18 years, long predating the current war.

Israeli navy intercepts several boats from Gaza aid flotilla

[Israeli navy intercepts several boats from Gaza aid flotilla]
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© France 24 [[link removed]]

WATCH VIDEO - CLICK ON IMAGE [[link removed]]

Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing
arms, while critics consider it collective punishment.

The core vessels set sail from Barcelona, Spain, on Sept. 1, heading
east across the Mediterranean Sea, and were joined by other boats
along the way. The flotilla includes larger vessels providing support
and provisions for the smaller sailboats.

Among the participants are Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg
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Mayor Ada Colau, Nelson Mandela
[[link removed]]'s grandson Mandla
Mandela, and several European lawmakers. Activists include military
veterans, doctors, clergy and lawyers, and come from a range of
countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America,
as well as from Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Israeli vessels approached the boats while they sailed in
international waters during the night, spraying some with water canons
and flashing bright lights before Israeli forces boarded them and
detained the activists. Some of the flotilla boats managed to maintain
live streams on social media accounts during the interception.

Organisers said an estimated 443 participants were detained. They
included Thunberg, Colau, and European Parliament
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Hassan.

Israel’s foreign ministry posted photos and videos of the activists,
saying on X that they were “safe and in good health” and would be
transferred to Israel for deportation.

Several countries, including Italy, Greece, France and Spain, said
consular support was being provided to their nationals.

Israel had repeatedly criticised the aid initiative and accused some
flotilla leaders of links to Hamas, an accusation the activists
strongly reject. It had warned that the boats would not be allowed to
reach Gaza.

Supporters of the flotilla took to the streets in several major cities
following the news of the interception – including Rome, Istanbul,
Athens and Buenos Aires – to decry Israeli actions and the ongoing
Israeli offensive in Gaza.

More protests were expected later Thursday, while Italy’s largest
union called for a one-day general strike on Friday.

Several countries, including Turkey, Colombia, Pakistan and Malaysia,
condemned Israel’s interception of the flotilla. Turkey’s foreign
ministry described it as an “act of terrorism,” while Colombia’s
President Gustavo Petro announced his government would expel
Israel’s diplomatic delegation and terminate his country's Free
Trade Agreement with Israel.

Italy and France said they were working with Israeli diplomatic
authorities to ensure their citizens were transferred to land and
deported home swiftly and peacefully, while Greece said it was
providing consular assistance to the 27 Greeks involved.

Organisers have said the flotilla was targeted three times by drones:
twice in Tunisia on Sept. 8 and 9, and once while sailing south of
Greece last week.

In that last attack, the flotilla said it was targeted during the
night by “unidentified drones and communications jamming”.
Activists said “at least 13 explosions” were heard on and around
several flotilla boats. No casualties were reported, but some boats
suffered damage.

It was not the first time activists trying to break Israel's Gaza
blockade have come under attack.

Another vessel said it was attacked by drones in May in international
waters off Malta. An overland convoy traveling across North Africa
also attempted to reach the border but was blocked by security forces
aligned with Egypt in eastern Libya.

In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, a boat
participating in an aid flotilla attempting to breach the maritime
blockade of Gaza. Nine Turkish citizens and one Turkish-American on
board were killed. The last time an activist boat succeeded in
reaching the strip was in 2008.

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023
[[link removed]], when Hamas-led
militants stormed into Israel and killed 1,200 people, mostly
civilians, and took 251 others hostage. Israel says its offensive is
aimed at pressuring Hamas to surrender and return the remaining 48
hostages, about 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive. Most of
the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.

The Israeli offensive has killed at least 66,000 Palestinians,
according to the Gaza health ministry. It does not say how many were
civilians or combatants, but says around half were women and children.

The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government. Its figures are seen
as a reliable estimate of wartime deaths by UN agencies and many
independent experts.

_(FRANCE 24 with AP and AFP)_

* Gaza Flotilla
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* Global Sumud Flotilla
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* Gaza
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* Humanitarian Aid
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* Greta Thunberg
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* Ceasefire
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* medical supplies
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* Genocide
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* war crimes
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* Israeli blockade
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* IDF
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* Israeli navy
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* Benjamin Netanyahu
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* Palestine
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* Israel
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* Israel-Gaza War
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* U.S.-Israel military aid
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