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Organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said Wednesday that Israeli naval attempts to intercept the Gaza-bound aid convoy had failed, and that the vessels were continuing their course toward the besieged enclave.
The flotilla, carrying humanitarian supplies and international activists, said it was about 121 nautical miles (225 kilometers) from Gaza early Wednesday. The ships set sail in late August and early September in an effort to challenge Israel’s blockade, which has been in place for nearly 18 years.
“Unidentified vessels approached a number of boats in the flotilla, some with their lights off,” the organizers said in a statement on Telegram. “Participants applied security protocols in preparation for an interception. The vessels have now left the flotilla.”
Wael Naouar, a spokesman for the flotilla’s Maghreb branch, said on Facebook that Israeli ships first tried to block the lead vessel Alma, then redirected toward another lead ship, Sirius. He said in both cases, the remaining vessels bypassed the interception attempts and continued toward Gaza.
Israeli warships later tried to break up the convoy from multiple sides but were unable to stop its progress, Naouar said. “Even if you stop 47 vessels, the 48th will continue on to Gaza,” he added.
An Al Jazeera correspondent on board said an Israeli vessel came within 5 feet of the Alma, jamming its communications and engine and temporarily disabling the ship. Passengers threw their phones into the sea in line with security protocols before contact was restored, the correspondent said.
Turkish activist Muhammed Salih, speaking from the sailing boat Adagio, said participants had been on high alert. “Most likely, (an interception) will happen tonight. We are on high alert. Everyone has put on their life jackets and is waiting ready on deck,” he said in a video posted on Instagram.
Reconnaissance drones have also been spotted flying at medium altitude over the flotilla, according to Al Jazeera.
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN reported Tuesday that the flotilla had entered Israel’s interception zone and that the navy was preparing to seize the ships, transfer activists to a warship, and tow the vessels to Ashdod. Some ships, it said, might be sunk.
Israeli authorities have ruled out allowing the flotilla to reach Gaza, KAN added.
Earlier this week, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza announced on X that the ship Al-Dhamir (“The Conscience”), carrying doctors and journalists, had set sail from Otranto, Italy, to join the mission.
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This marks the first time in years that dozens of ships have sailed together toward Gaza. The blockade, tightened further in March when Israel closed all border crossings, has left 2.4 million Palestinians in dire conditions.
Since October 2023, Israeli strikes have killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to Gaza health authorities. The bombardment has left the enclave uninhabitable, with widespread starvation and disease.
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