JERUSALEM, Oct. 3 — The Israeli navy intercepted the last vessel of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) in the Mediterranean Sea on Friday, Israel’s state-owned Kan TV News channel reported.
The Marinette vessel departed late due to a technical fault, making it the last in the flotilla to be intercepted after Israel halted all other vessels from approaching the Gaza Strip on Thursday.
The channel said the ship was seized by Israel’s special naval unit Shayetet 13 and released video footage of commandos boarding the vessel.
The GSF, comprising dozens of vessels with more than 400 volunteers from over 40 countries, aimed to challenge Israel’s naval blockade and deliver food and medical aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry and Israeli media, all passengers were transferred “safely” and “in good health” to the port of Ashdod in southern Israel.
Israel said it would deport the volunteers to Europe. The flotilla organizers confirmed the interception. In a statement, they said Israeli forces had “illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels – each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers and the determination to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza.”
The flotilla set sail from ports in various countries since August, converging on Gaza with the goal of opening a humanitarian corridor by sea.
Israel imposed a naval blockade on Gaza in 2007 after Hamas seized control of the enclave. The restrictions were further tightened following Hamas’s cross-border assault into southern Israel in October 2023. (Xinhua)
