Another Gaza flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces, activists detained

Israeli forces intercepted another flotilla attempting to break the country’s naval blockade and reach Gaza, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said, calling the effort a “futile attempt” that “did not end.” The ministry also said the ships and passengers had been transferred to an Israeli port and were safe and healthy. Passengers should be expelled quickly, according to the ministry.

The fleet of nine boats carried 145 activists participating in the Freedom Flotilla Coalition & Thousand Madleens in Gaza, The Associated Press reportedquoting the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Flotilla organizers said in a statement that the fleet was carrying more than $110,000 in aid, including medicine, respiratory equipment and nutritional supplies destined for hospitals in Gaza.

Israel says no aid found aboard Gaza-bound Flotilla

This image obtained from live footage from Gaza Sunbird ship, one of nine boats participating in the Freedom Flotilla Coalition & Thousand Madleens in Gaza, shows Israeli forces approaching in the boats, in the Mediterranean Sea, Wednesday, October 8, 2025. (Freedom Flotilla Coalition via AP)

David Heap, a Canadian boat in Gaza and on the steering committee of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, asserted that “Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers on board these ships.”

“Our volunteers are not subject to Israeli jurisdiction and cannot be criminalized for providing aid or challenging an illegal blockade. Their detention is arbitrary, illegal and must end immediately,” Heap added.

This image obtained from live stream footage from Gaza Sunbird ship, one of nine boats participating in the Freedom Flotilla Coalition & Thousand Madleens in Gaza, shows an Israeli soldier trying to reach the camera aboard Gaza Sunbird, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Wednesday, October 8. (Freedom Flotilla Coalition via AP)

Israel says Greta Thunberg flotilla seeking to break Gaza blockade has Hamas links, documents cite

The crisis comes just days after Israeli forces intercepted another aid flotilla and arrested the activists on board, including Greta Thunberg, an outspoken critic of Israel. Thunberg was also arrested while participating in a flotilla in June.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted on October 2, became the subject of controversy when Israel said the fleet had no support. Flotilla organizers insist the claim was “not only verifiably false; it is obscene,” saying the boats were “meticulously documented, loaded with medical supplies, food and other vital supplies for the people in Gaza.”

Israeli forces storm a global Sumud flotilla ship on October 2, 2025, as the boat attempted to sail to Gaza. (Global Sumud Flotilla via AP)

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Thunberg was also aboard another Gaza-bound flotilla that was intercepted in June. The climate activist said she had been “kidnapped” by Israel, a comment that drew scrutiny from those who highlighted the plight of the hostages who have been held in Gaza since October 7, 2023.

The activist was later expelled from Israel and reportedly told lawyers that she could do “more good outside of Israel” and that refusing to leave “would harm our cause,” The Times of Israel reported, citing a spokesperson for Adalah, a legal center for Arab minority rights in Israel. Adalah now represents GSF, a more recent attempt to reach Gaza.

In June, when asked about Thunberg’s claim that she had been “kidnapped” by Israel, President Donald Trump said: “I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg.” The president called the climate activist a “strange person” and told reporters she needed “anger management” classes.