Israel intercepted the flotilla headed to Gaza: What to Know

Palestinians flee south along the coastal al-Rashid road from Gaza City in the Gaza Strip, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. At the United Nations, Israel’s prime minister took pains to note that opposition to a Palestinian state is not a position merely of his own, or of his government’s, but of the vast majority of Israelis in the aftermath of Oct. 7. (Saher Alghorra/The New York Times)

By EPHRAT LIVNI, EMMA BUBOLA and LIAM STACK

The Israeli navy detained hundreds of activists from around the world Thursday after intercepting a flotilla of small boats that was trying to take humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.

The widely publicized mission, involving dozens of boats and activists including Greta Thunberg, aimed to breach an Israeli blockade of Gaza that has been in place for nearly two decades.

Israel has imposed stringent restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid since the war in Gaza began two years ago, and for several months this year, it prevented food from being brought in.

Several world leaders condemned the detention of the activists, which sparked protests in several cities.

What happened?

Israel’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that all but one of the boats had been stopped and that none had breached the blockade. It said all the detained activists were “safe and in good health” and would soon be deported to Europe.

The flotilla’s organizers said on social media that several of the boats had been intercepted in international waters, outside Israel’s jurisdiction, calling it “illegal” and an “attack on unarmed humanitarians.”

Images from a video shared overnight by the flotilla’s organizers showed Israeli soldiers aboard the vessels and activists in life jackets raising their hands. The organizers also posted a video online that showed Israel using water cannons against the boats.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the sole remaining boat in the flotilla was still far from the conflict zone and that if it tried to approach Gaza, it would be “prevented” from doing so.

More than 250 flotilla participants were in police custody Thursday evening, according to a statement from Israeli police, who said they would be transferred “for further processing by the Immigration Authority and the Prison Service.” The police said the operation would continue “into the night until the last boat has been handled.”

Flotilla organizers, however, said that immigration authorities had begun conducting some deportation hearings at the port where participants disembarked, without notice or access to their lawyers, calling it “a grave violation of due process and a denial of the participants’ fundamental rights.”

What was the flotilla?

The boats were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a group protesting Israel’s war in Gaza. The activists’ stated mission was to deliver food to mitigate the humanitarian crisis there, but they also sought to draw attention to the suffering in Gaza and raise awareness of Israel’s blockade on the territory.

The flotilla, which consisted of at least 40 boats, set sail from Spain last month and was joined by other vessels as it crossed the Mediterranean Sea. It carried about 500 people, according to Suhad Bishara, a lawyer with the Adalah legal center in Israel, which said it would represent the activists.

After the boats were intercepted, the Israeli Foreign Ministry posted a video showing Thunberg — one of several high-profile figures on the flotilla — calmly engaging with a person wearing military gear as a boat was boarded. Other participants included Mandla Mandela, a grandson of Nelson Mandela, and lawmakers from Italy, which has been rocked by anti-war protests in recent weeks.

What was the reaction to the interceptions?

The news set off protests in Italy and at least nine other countries, according to video and posts on social media. Italy’s largest labor union announced a general strike for Friday to protest the interception.

France’s and Italy’s foreign ministers said they were working with Israeli authorities to ensure the activists’ protection. Turkey’s foreign minister called the “attack” on the flotilla “an act of terrorism.”

Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, said Thursday that the interception was a “grave offense” and that Israel must allow humanitarian goods into Gaza. He called on Israel to “immediately release the South Africans abducted in international waters.”

On Wednesday night, President Gustavo Petro of Colombia announced the end of a free-trade agreement with Israel and the expulsion of its diplomatic delegation from Colombia. He said two Colombians were among those detained by Israel.

What were the group’s aims?

The activists said they wanted to “break the siege” of Gaza and open a humanitarian corridor to provide aid by sea. They also said they sought to focus attention on the dire conditions in the enclave, which has been under an Israeli blockade since shortly after Hamas seized power there in 2007.

Israel’s restrictions on goods entering Gaza have become severer since the start of the war, which was ignited by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed. More than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the conflict, including civilians and combatants, according to Gaza health authorities.

In August, a United Nations-backed panel of food experts reported that parts of Gaza were suffering from famine. Israel has rejected the group’s findings and questioned its methodology.