Israel intercepts aid flotilla bound for Gaza

Israeli forces have intercepted an aid flotilla bound for Gaza that was being closely watched around the world, boarding boats and detaining activists including Greta Thunberg who were seeking to break the blockade of the Palestinian enclave.

Israeli forces have intercepted an aid flotilla bound for Gaza that was being closely watched around the world, boarding boats and detaining activists including Greta Thunberg who were seeking to break the blockade of the Palestinian enclave.

All but three of the 43 vessels being tracked online by the Global Sumud Flotilla were listed as having been confirmed or assumed to have been stopped by Israeli forces on Thursday, with a total of 443 people “forcibly taken from their vessels,” organizers said in a statement.

At least one of the vessels, the Mikeno, sailing under the French flag, appeared to reach just off Gaza’s coast, according to the online tracker, although Global Sumud Flotilla said they had lost communication with the vessel.

Another ship, the Marinette, sailing under a Polish flag, was still in communication, with six passengers onboard, they added.

Israel’s foreign ministry said only “one last vessel” remained at a distance. “If it approaches, its attempt to enter an active combat zone and breach the blockade will also be prevented,” it said in a post on X.