Israeli forces have taken control of vessels involved in a Gaza protest flotilla linked to Hamas, as confirmed by the Foreign Ministry late Wednesday night. This development follows reports from flotilla organizers indicating that the naval forces intercepted the boats near Greece.
“Roughly 175 activists from over 20 vessels in the so-called ‘condom flotilla’ are now proceeding peacefully to Israel,” the ministry announced via Twitter on Thursday morning.
The ministry also released video footage purportedly showing activists enjoying their time on board an Israeli Navy ship.
Just before midnight on Wednesday, members of the Global Sumud (“Steadfastness”) Flotilla reported that they were “approached by military speedboats identifying themselves as ‘Israel.’ The military personnel allegedly pointed lasers and semi-automatic weapons at them, instructing the participants to move to the front of the boats and assume a kneeling position.”
According to a tracking map available on the flotilla’s website, the vessels were intercepted near the Greek island of Crete, which is several hundred nautical miles from Israel.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, commented on the situation, stating that “another provocative flotilla was stopped before reaching our area,” dismissing the group as “delusional attention-seeking agitators.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday condemned the seizure. Rome “demands the release of all illegally detained Italians, full respect for international law and guarantees of the physical well-being of the people on board,” her office said in a statement. Italy’s government “reaffirms its commitment to continue providing humanitarian aid to Gaza in the framework of our cooperation and in respect of international law,” the statement added.
Italy under Meloni, who was elected on a conservative platform, has grown increasingly critical of Israel after Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists invaded the Jewish state and triggered a regional war. France, which has maintained a more hostile attitude to Israel than Italy’s after the invasion, did not immediately comment on the seizure.
The activists aboard flotillas to Gaza tend to belong to the hardcore of anti-Israeli agitation in Europe, and previous flotillas have been shown to be linked to Hamas.
In a video clip published by the flotilla organizers, an Israeli Navy officer could be heard calling on the activists to abandon their journey.
“If you wish to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, you may do so through established and recognized channels. Please change course and return to the port of origin. If you are carrying humanitarian aid, you are invited to proceed to the Port of Ashdod,” the officer states.
“It is dangerous to remain on your current course. If you continue the attempt to breach the maritime blockade, we will stop your vessel and act to seize it through legal proceedings in court,” he adds. “You bear full responsibility for your actions.”
An IDF spokesman told JNS on Thursday morning that the IDF enforces the maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip and was prepared for any scenario, in accordance with orders from the political echelon.
On Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry had stated that “the driving force behind the flotilla provocation is Hamas — joining hands with professional provocateurs — with the aim of sabotaging Trump’s peace plan.
“Like previous provocations, this is nothing but a PR stunt: a provocation without humanitarian aid,” it continued. “As international media have exposed, these are professional provocateurs on pleasure cruises, addicted to self-promotion.”
The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday night published footage of items found aboard the ships, which organizers claimed carried aid supplies for the Gaza Strip. “This is the ‘medical aid’ found aboard the PR stunt flotilla: condoms and drugs,” the ministry tweeted.
Caroline Glick, international affairs adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, called the discovery aboard the intercepted boats “repulsive and evil.”
The interception of the vessel came hours after Defense Minister Israel Katz imposed sanctions on a crowdfunding campaign organized by the Hamas terrorist organization to raise money for the flotilla.
The sanctions were part of a broader Israeli effort, which includes U.S. involvement, to counter attempts by Hamas and others to destabilize the Gaza Strip, according to the ministry.
“The flotilla violates U.N. [Security Council] Resolution 2803, which stipulates that aid to the Gaza Strip will enter through the accepted official channels, and therefore undermines the Trump administration’s settlement efforts as part of its efforts to achieve regional stability,” the statement added.
The declared objective of the Global Sumud Flotilla is to “to break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor and end the ongoing genocide.”
Jerusalem maintains that its naval blockade on the enclave, imposed on Jan. 3, 2009, is compatible with international law. It aims to prevent weapons, terrorists and funds from entering or exiting Gaza by sea. The enclave has been ruled by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists since 2007.
Several missions led by the Global Sumud Flotilla were intercepted by the Israeli Navy last year, with participants detained and deported, including Swedish far-left activist Greta Thunberg.
