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Israeli forces launched a full seizure operation against the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters off Cyprus on Monday.
The Israeli navy boarded multiple vessels, detaining approximately 100 activists and cutting communications with 23 of the flotilla's 52 vessels, as live streams showed activists throwing their phones into the sea and raising their hands as Israeli soldiers approached.
The Global Sumud Flotilla Crisis Desk confirmed that two Israeli warships were spotted near the flotilla off Cyprus, followed by Israeli naval speedboats approaching and harassing vessels.
The five named vessels confirmed to have been subjected to illegal interception were: Kaktus, Zio Faster, Holy Blue, Munki and Sadabad.
Live broadcasts from the flotilla showed Israeli naval forces boarding the boats one after another.
The Crisis Desk named 11 Turkish nationals among those unlawfully detained in international waters: Fatma Zengin, Bilali Yildirim, Sibel Duyan, Zeynel Abidin Ozkan, Yasin Yalcin, Validin Asaf, Tunc Yilmaz, Mustafa Simsek, Mustafa Guzkaya, Muhammed Ensar Aslan and Emrullah Demir.
According to Israeli media reports, the detained activists would first be transferred to a vessel converted into a detention facility before being transported to Ashdod Port in southern Israel.
The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Israeli soldiers were filmed near one of the ships heading toward the Gaza Strip.
The newspaper later reported that the Israeli army detained activists aboard the vessels and was transferring them to a navy ship described as a "floating prison" before transporting them to the port of Ashdod.
"Military vessels are currently intercepting our fleet, and the IOF forces are boarding the first of our boats in broad daylight," The Global Sumud Flotilla stated on X.
"We demand safe passage for our legal, non-violent humanitarian mission. Governments must act now to stop these illegal acts of piracy meant to maintain Israel’s genocidal siege on Gaza. Normalization of the occupation’s violence is a threat to us all," the flotilla added.
Global Sumud Flotilla Board Member Aycin Kantoglu said in a video statement: "Activists are conducting a non-violent and civilian action. They are trying to open a humanitarian corridor to a people being subjected to genocide. They are not involved in any crime that would warrant their detention."
"Therefore, this intervention is not compatible with international law. It is not compatible with human conscience," she added.
According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, Netanyahu convened a security meeting on Monday to formally authorize the Israeli military to seize the flotilla.
KAN reported that Shayetet 13 naval commandos led the boarding operation and that a floating detention facility had been specially built aboard one of the Israeli vessels to hold activists who did not comply with warnings to turn back.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a written statement earlier, saying Israel would not "permit" the breaking of the naval blockade and calling on flotilla participants to change course.
The flotilla comprised 52 vessels carrying 426 participants from 39 countries, including 96 Turkish activists.
Other nationalities represented included Germany, the United States, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Algeria, Indonesia, Morocco, Finland, France, South Africa, Croatia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Canada, Libya, Malaysia, Mexico, Egypt, Mauritania, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sri Lanka, Chile, Tunisia, Oman, Vietnam and New Zealand.
The flotilla's 2026 Spring Mission had previously been intercepted off the coast of Crete on the night of April 29, when Israeli forces detained and mistreated 177 activists in international waters approximately 600 nautical miles from Gaza and several miles from Greek territorial waters.
A similar operation was carried out in August 2025 against a flotilla of 40-plus vessels carrying over 500 activists from more than 44 countries.
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