Israeli Forces Spark Global Outrage by Intercepting Sumud Flotilla Off Gaza Coast

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Israel intercepted multiple boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla seeking to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip late Wednesday, generating outrage and displays of solidarity from across the globe.

"History will side with the flotilla," said former UK Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn, who remains in Parliament. "And their bravery will only inspire more people to join our global movement for Palestine."

Turkey's foreign ministry described the interception as a "terrorist act... which targeted civilians acting peacefully," while Colombian President Gustavo Petro booted the entire Israeli diplomatic delegation from his country immediately following the news.

In Barcelona, hundreds of outraged protesters gathered outside the Israeli consulate. Similar scenes broke out in other cities around the world, including Istanbul and Brussels.

The Guardian reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) boarded at least two vessels roughly 75 miles away from Gaza. A livestream from the flotilla showed signals from boat after boat going dark after the convoy was surrounded by over 20 Israeli naval ships.

According to Drop Site News—whose editor Alex Colston has been reporting from one of the vessels—by midnight local time, at least six boats from the flotilla had been intercepted and boarded by the IDF.

After midnight, one sailor shared on the livestream that Israeli ships were spraying the flotilla boats with water cannons. By 1:00 am, the stream only showed the Meteque, where sailors held their hands above their heads as the IDF ordered them to stop their engine.

Sailors on the Meteque, a boat with the Global Sumud Flotilla, held their hands above their heads as Israeli forces ordered them to stop their engine off the Gaza coast at around 1:00 am local time on October 2, 2025. (Photo: screenshot/Global Sumud Flotilla/YoutTube)

An earlier video from flotilla activists shows the moment that Brazilian organizer Thiago Ávila received a message from an IDF soldier who ordered the flotilla to turn around.

"You are entering an active war zone," the soldier is heard saying over an intercom. "If you attempt to breach the naval blockade, we will stop your vessel and act to confiscate it through legal proceedings in court."

In response, Ávila pointed to the International Court of Justice's provisional measures on Gaza and the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ávila asked Israeli forces to "stand down," "not commit another war crime," and "not engage with our peaceful, nonviolent, humanitarian solidarity mission for the Palestinian people in Gaza."

Another video shows the people aboard the vessels defiantly chanting pro-Palestine slogans at Israeli ships.

The flotilla's more than 40 civilian boats are carrying hundreds of humanitarians, journalists, and other noteworthy figures from dozens of countries around the world. They include the late South African President Nelson Mandela's grandson, Mandla Mandela; American actress Susan Sarandon; former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau; and multiple other European politicians.

Another video shows one of the flotilla's most famous participants, 22-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, being detained by an IDF soldier.

The flotilla set sail from Barcelona a few weeks ago, in response to Israel's illegal near-total blockade of humanitarian aid entering Gaza, which has resulted in mass starvation. A group of United Nations experts warned in early September that any attempt by Israel to stop the vessels from delivering aid "would constitute a grave violation of international law and humanitarian principles."

Throughout their journey toward Gaza, the flotilla members have faced numerous threats from the Israeli government, which has attempted to smear the humanitarian mission as an effort to advance the agenda of Hamas.

Last week, while still off the coast of Greece, the flotilla was swarmed with drones and attacked with flash-bang grenades believed to have been launched by Israel, which has a history of targeting such missions. That attack initially led the governments of Italy and Spain to send naval ships to offer protection to the flotilla, but they have since turned back as the boats moved closer to Gaza.