Israeli forces on Tuesday intercepted all remaining vessels from an activist flotilla attempting to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, boarding ships and destroying cameras as activists sought to highlight severe humanitarian conditions and shortages of housing, food, and medicine in the besieged territory.
Live footage showed armed Israeli soldiers boarding the vessels Andros, Zefiro, Don Juan, Alcyone, and Elengi around 167 miles (268 kilometers) from the Gaza coastline. Activists wearing life vests raised their arms as soldiers destroyed cameras mounted on the boats, which had departed last week from Turkey.
Enforcing the Blockade
On Monday, the Israeli navy stopped some 41 boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters off Cyprus and detained those on board. The flotilla reported late Tuesday that 428 detained activists from over 40 nations remained “unaccounted for” due to lack of contact with lawyers, consular help, or family notification.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry Office stated Tuesday night that “all 430 activists” had been transferred to Israeli vessels and were “making their way to Israel, where they will be able to meet with their consular representatives.” The ministry’s post on X characterized the flotilla as “a PR stunt at the service of Hamas.”
Earlier Tuesday, the activist group warned of “grave and immediate concerns” about the activists’ physical safety, citing others detained during an April 30 interdiction who detailed “patterns of torture, severe physical abuse and invasive sexual violence” by Israeli forces. Israel denied these allegations.
The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions against European activists Saif Abu Keshek, Jaldia Abubakra Aueda, Hisham Abdallah Sulayman Abu Mahfuz, and Mohammed Khatib, who were aboard the flotilla. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent labeled these activists “pro-terror,” demonstrating the international state apparatus's role in suppressing challenges to the existing order.
The Human Cost of Control
The flotilla’s aim was to highlight the humanitarian conditions in Gaza, including critical shortages of housing, food, and medicine. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that Israel’s retaliatory offensive following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack has killed more than 72,700 people.
Israel’s defense body overseeing humanitarian aid to Gaza claimed sufficient aid was entering the territory, with around 600 trucks delivering assistance daily, similar to prewar levels. However, a U.N. World Food Program report indicated a sharp decline in humanitarian and commercial trucks entering Gaza in March compared with previous months, with a daily average of 112 trucks entering following the start of the Iran war.
Israel has maintained a sea blockade of Gaza for 19 years, since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007, intensifying it in the third year after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks. Critics argue the blockade amounts to collective punishment, while Israel states it is meant to prevent Hamas from arming. Egypt, which controls the only border crossing with Gaza not controlled by Israel, has also greatly restricted movement.
Liberal Responses and Structural Limits
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called for an urgent review of Israel’s use of force after Italian activists reported soldiers fired rubber bullets at vessels. Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin called Israel’s interception of the boats in international waters “absolutely unacceptable.”
Turkey and Hamas called the interdictions an act of “piracy,” while Italy, Spain, and Indonesia called on Israel to release activists and ensure their safety. The flotilla urged governments and world leaders to demand the activists’ “immediate and unconditional release” and to ensure legal and consular help.
Italian activist Daniele Gallina, who diverted his sailboat to Cyprus due to technical issues, stated his mission was an attempt to open Gaza to the world. Gallina emphasized, “What matters is not only the aid itself, important as it is, but the structural change it represents. It is also about challenging the collaboration of our own governments with these policies.”
Gallina described the flotilla’s mission as “entirely pacifist” but noted that the Israeli military’s actions demonstrated how international law was now “openly disregarded” against “peaceful civilian missions carrying no weapons.” He affirmed that he and fellow activists remained determined to continue their protests “until Gaza is reached.”