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Turkish activists sailing with the Global Sumud Fleet toward Gaza said Monday the convoy was continuing its course despite Israeli military intercepting and detaining activists aboard several vessels in international waters.
Seven Turkish participants, including a cardiovascular surgeon and a board member of the fleet's Türkiye chapter, issued video statements as Israeli warships moved on the convoy approximately 250 nautical miles from Gaza. Among those confirmed detained was activist Zeynel Abidin Özkan, who posted a pre-recorded emergency message saying he had been "abducted in international waters" by Israeli military against his will.
Harun Uyar, aboard the vessel Rim, said Israeli warships were using signal jammers to cut the fleet's internet connections while positioning themselves ahead and behind the convoy. Despite the interception of close associates, he said the remaining vessels had changed direction only temporarily. "We are not turning back from our path. We are advancing toward Gaza," he said.
Ahmet Söylemez, on board the L'Arq, described first spotting three or four Israeli warships at around 10:30 a.m. and watching as the nearest vessels were boarded and their passengers taken. His ship accelerated when zodiac boats approached. Though Israeli vessels appeared to have been left behind, he said activists across the fleet were being detained in what he called unlawful seizures in international waters.
Söylemez said the fleet's course had not changed. "Our helm has been pointed toward Gaza since we set out. It still is," he said, adding that the convoy expected to reach Gaza by Wednesday evening if conditions held.
Dilek Tekocak, a board member of Global Sumud Fleet Türkiye, said contact had been lost with some vessels following the attacks. She called on the public to take to the streets and gather outside consulates, describing solidarity as the fleet's only protection. "The only weapon they have," she said of the roughly 500 activists aboard, "is the voice of conscientious people around the world."
Ozkan's pre-recorded message, shared on the fleet's account on X, framed his detention as evidence of what the mission was up against. "My abduction once again shows how far the Israeli regime and its supporters are willing to go to maintain the siege and genocide," he said.
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Sumeyra Akdeniz Ordu said boats had been seized by Israeli military around midday and described the fleet as an unarmed civilian resistance. "We are not just talking about breaking a physical blockade," she said. "We are also talking about breaking the blockade surrounding media perception." She noted that volunteer doctors from multiple countries were aboard her vessel and called on world governments to ensure the fleet's protection and safe passage into Gaza.
Cardiovascular surgeon Assoc. Prof. Seyma Denli Yalvac confirmed the attacks but said the convoy was pressing forward regardless. "Pray for us," she said. "Do not let Gaza fall off the agenda."
The Global Sumud Fleet is a civilian initiative organized to challenge Israel's longstanding naval blockade of the Gaza Strip, which Israel has maintained since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007.
Previous flotilla attempts, including the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident in which Israeli commandos killed ten Turkish activists, have drawn intense international criticism. The detentions of activists in international waters raise questions under international maritime law, which generally prohibits the boarding of foreign-flagged vessels outside a country's territorial waters without consent.
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