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21-05-2026
NICOSIA: Pro-Palestinian activists say Israeli forces are intercepting a flotilla of more than 50 boats carrying aid for Gaza in international waters west of Cyprus.
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) said its fleet was being boarded in what it called “another illegal, high-seas aggression” about 250 nautical miles (460km) from Gaza, which is under an Israeli maritime blockade. Its video stream showed commandos climbing onto several boats. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the raid was “effectively neutralizing a malicious plan designed to break the isolation we have imposed on Hamas terrorists in Gaza”.
Last month, Israeli forces intercepted 21 boats from the same flotilla near Crete.
In that incident, 181 activists on board were detained, all but two of whom were released on the Greek island the next day following widespread international condemnation. Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek and Brazilian national Thiago Avila were taken back to Israel for questioning and deported after spending 10 days in custody. The flotilla’s remaining boats then sailed to the Turkish port of Marmaris, where 54 boats departed last Thursday and headed south-east towards Gaza. More than 420 activists from 39 countries were said to be taking part.
Just after 10:30 in Cyprus (07:30 GMT) on Monday, live video broadcast on the GSF’s website showed commandos on a raiding craft approaching a sailboat, then boarding it as the passengers raised their hands.
“Military vessels are currently intercepting our fleet and (Israeli) forces are boarding the first of our boats in broad daylight,” the GSF’s organizers said in a statement.
“We demand safe passage for our legal, non-violent humanitarian mission,” it added. “Governments must act now to stop these illegal acts or piracy meant to maintain Israel’s genocidal siege on Gaza.”
Later, the organizers announced that Israeli forces had so far intercepted 10 vessels in the flotilla and that contact had been lost with 23.
Some two dozen Turkish nationals were on board the intercepted vessels, they said.
Turkey’s foreign ministry condemned “the intervention by Israeli forces in international waters… which constitutes a new act of piracy”.
Israel’s prime minister told the commander of the Israeli naval forces by radio that they were “doing an outstanding job”, according to a transcript released by his office.
“You are doing this with great success and I must say also quietly and certainly with less prominence than our enemies expected, so, heartfelt congratulations,” Netanyahu said.
Earlier, Israel’s foreign ministry had vowed that it would not to allow any breach of its blockade of Gaza, which it insisted was lawful and called on the flotilla to turn back.
“Once again, a provocation for the sake of provocation; another so-called ‘humanitarian aid flotilla’ with no humanitarian aid,” a post on social media said.
“This time, two violent Turkish groups, Mavi Marmara and IHH, the latter designated as a terrorist organization, are part of the provocation,” it added.
The IHH was one of the organizers of an aid flotilla that attempted to breach the Gaza blockade in 2010. Israeli commandos raided a Turkish boat that was participating in the flotilla, Mavi Marmara, and killed 10 Turkish activists during clashes on board.
The Israeli foreign ministry also claimed that the purpose of the latest GSF flotilla was to “serve Hamas, to divert attention from Hamas’s refusal to disarm, and to obstruct progress on (US) President Trump’s peace plan”.
Activists on board said they needed to reach Gaza to provide much-needed aid to Palestinians in the territory, where living conditions are dire and most of the 2.1 million population is displaced, despite the ceasefire agreed by Israel and Hamas last October. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
