Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg and other passengers aboard a fleet of Gaza-bound aid ships have been detained by the Israeli military and are facing deportation after more than a dozen vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) were intercepted.
The action, which began on Wednesday evening, has sparked swift international backlash. The flotilla aims to break Israel’s 18-year blockade of Gaza to deliver food, water, and medicine to the war-ravaged enclave. As of Thursday morning, 21 of the GSF’s vessels had been intercepted, according to the group’s tracker. Flotilla organizers labeled Israel’s interception an “illegal attack” on humanitarians, while Israel countered that the activists were “not interested in aid, but in provocation.”
The first ships were intercepted and boarded by Israeli forces late Wednesday about 70 nautical miles from Gaza. The GSF accused Israel of aggressively targeting its vessels, claiming one was “deliberately rammed” and two others were “targeted with water cannons.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that several vessels had been “safely stopped,” and their passengers were being transported to Israel where deportation procedures would begin. The ministry posted on X that “Greta and her friends are safe and healthy,” accompanying the post with a video showing Thunberg sitting on the floor surrounded by military personnel. The GSF issued a call to governments and international institutions, demanding the immediate safety and release of the “unarmed humanitarians.”
The flotilla comprises more than 500 participants from dozens of countries, having set sail from Barcelona, Spain, on August 31 and gathering other ships from various Mediterranean ports. Among the participants are lawmakers from Spain and Italy, as well as Thunberg, who was previously detained and deported from Israel in June after another Gaza-bound aid boat she was aboard was intercepted.
The mission comes as Gaza faces escalating death and hunger, with a UN-backed report in August stating that parts of the enclave are experiencing a “man-made” famine due to Israel blocking much-needed aid. Dr. James Smith, a British doctor on the flotilla, described the effort as more than purely humanitarian, calling it “a form of direct action, it’s a form of anti-colonial resistance.”
Hours before the ships were intercepted, Israel’s Foreign Ministry posted on X that its navy had contacted the flotilla, warning them they were “approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval blockade.”
It claimed the flotilla’s “sole purpose” was “provocation.” While Israel has repeatedly offered alternative routes for the aid, GSF organizers had stated they “will not be accepting the offer to give the aid to anyone other than the intended recipients, which are the civilians in Gaza.”
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon affirmed that those who “tried to enter Israeli territory illegally” would be deported immediately after the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, stating, “We will not allow any PR stunt approaching an active war zone to violate our sovereignty.”
International condemnation of the interception was swift, with pro-Palestinian protesters gathering in Italy, Turkey, Greece, Tunisia, and Argentina.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry called the interception an “act of terrorism,” and Hamas labeled it a “treacherous assault and an act of piracy.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro called the interception an “international crime,” announcing he would immediately expel Israeli diplomats and denounce the free trade agreement with Israel.