The Israeli Navy on Monday began to intercept the activist mission sailing to the Gaza Strip to challenge Israel’s naval blockade, just weeks after a previous flotilla was thwarted and two of its activists were detained.

More than 50 vessels departed from the port in Marmaris, Turkey, last week in what the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla described as the final leg of their journey to Gaza’s shores.

It is reported that Sri Lankan participant Sameera Mahboobdeen is part of the fleet, and her fate is unknown. 

Naval commandos boarded the first of Global Sumud Flotilla’s vessels at sea off the coast of Cyprus, a livestream showed on Monday, which then abruptly ended.

By noon, six vessels had been intercepted.

“Military vessels are currently intercepting our fleet and (Israeli) forces are boarding the first of our boats in broad daylight,” the Global Sumud Flotilla said on X.

“We demand safe passage for our legal, non-violent humanitarian mission.”

Turkey condemned Israel’s interception of the flotilla, stating it “constitutes a new act of piracy.”

“Israel must immediately cease its intervention and unconditionally release the detained flotilla participants,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said, adding that “the process is being closely monitored in cooperation with other countries.”

Meanwhile, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that his country’s embassies in Israel, Turkey, and Cyprus have asked Israel to ensure the safety of the Italian citizens on the flotilla.

Earlier, Israel warned the “participants in this provocation to change course and turn back immediately.”

“Once again, a provocation for the sake of provocation: another so-called ‘humanitarian aid flotilla’ with no humanitarian aid,” the Foreign Ministry posted on X. The Israeli military declined to comment on the ongoing operation.

Israel has previously dismissed the flotillas as publicity stunts, after their organizers rejected calls to transfer the small amount of symbolic aid they had been carrying with them to Israel or international organizations to be taken into the Strip and distributed via official channels.

The Global Sumud Flotilla will be the third initiative in a year aiming at breaking an Israeli blockade on Hamas-ruled Gaza, which has suffered severe shortages of food, water, medicine, and fuel since the Palestinian terror group invaded Israel in October 2023, sparking two years of war in the coastal enclave.

The flotilla is being led by Turkish aid organization IHH, which is designated in Israel as a terror organization and which organized the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla to Gaza.

Israeli forces intercepted the second flotilla in international waters off Greece on April 30 and sent most of the 175 activists to Europe, but arrested two of them, who were held for 10 days before being deported. 

Organizers said the latest efforts involve a regrouped fleet following Israel’s interception, joined by additional boats. Nearly 500 activists from 45 countries are said to be taking part.

Previous efforts to breach the blockade have also failed. The last time an activist boat succeeded in reaching the strip was in 2008. (Newswire/ Times of Israel)

The Israeli Navy has begun to intercept the activist mission sailing to the Gaza Strip to challenge Israel's naval blockade. pic.twitter.com/YXeSwxPDOd

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) May 18, 2026

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An Israeli court has extended the detention of two Gaza-bound humanitarian aid flotilla activists who were abducted by Israeli authorities last week, an Israeli rights group representing them says.

The Ashkelon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday granted the state’s request to extend the detention of Saif Abu Keshek from Spain and Brazilian Thiago Avila until Sunday May 10, Miriam Azem, the international advocacy coordinator at Adalah confirmed to Al Jazeera.

The pair were among dozens of activists who had set sail for Gaza as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece on April 30. Organisers say that from 180 activists, the majority of whom were taken to Crete, Abu Keshek and Avila were taken to Israel for questioning, where they remain in detention.

“The court’s decision to extend the detention of humanitarian activists abducted in international waters amounts to judicial validation of the state’s lawlessness,” Adalah said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that it will appeal the decision.

The extension of the activists’ detainment was based on “secret evidence” that Abu Keshek, Avila and their lawyers were not permitted to review, Adalah said.

“Crucially, the court granted the full six-day extension requested by the state without imposing any limitations or judicial constraints on the interrogation period,” the group’s statement read.

No charges have been filed against the two men, but Abu Keshek and Avila face several accusations, including affiliation with a “terrorist organisation and contact with foreign agents”, Adalah has previously told Al Jazeera.

Adalah lawyers Hadeel Abu Salih and Lubna Tuma, representing the two activists, have argued that the allegations against them are “baseless” and have no “legal grounds”. 

“Because the activists were abducted over 1,000 kilometers away from Gaza and are not Israeli citizens, Israeli domestic law does not apply to them,” said the rights group.

The organisation also said both activists remain in “total isolation, subjected to 24/7 high-intensity lighting in their cells and kept blindfolded whenever they are moved, including during medical examinations”.

The organisation said the activists are continuing their hunger strike, consuming only water since their abduction on April 30.

The flotilla’s organisers also demanded the release of Abu Keshek and Avila on Tuesday, urging the international community to take action.

“The zionist regime has, once again, extended the illegal detention of our friends; Saif Abukeshek and Thiago Avila,” the group said on X.

“Our organizers have been illegally kidnapped in international waters, subjected to beatings and torture in Greek territorial waters, and forcefully brought against their will to occupied Palestine, where they have been subjected to interrogations, death threats, sleep deprivation and medical neglect.”

On Saturday, Adalah lawyers had visited the activists at Shikma Prison in Ashkelon, where they gave testimony of “severe physical abuse amounting to torture”.

The Global Sumud Flotilla’s first voyage to Gaza in August and September drew worldwide attention before Israeli forces intercepted the boats off the coasts of Egypt and Gaza in early October.

Crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were arrested and expelled by Israeli forces. (Al Jazeera)

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Israeli forces have boarded and taken control of several ships that are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which had been attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza, and that had garnered global attention as one of the biggest naval aid missions to the Palestinian enclave.

The flotilla – which in all includes more than 40 civilian boats and about 500 activists – was intercepted by Israeli forces late on Wednesday, with activists on board detained and taken to Israel.

Israel had previously said that it would do whatever it takes to stop the Gaza-bound flotilla, claiming the volunteers were trying to “breach a lawful naval blockade” – a claim that goes against international law.

Israel has blockaded Gaza to varying degrees since Hamas took control of the Strip in 2007. Gaza’s residents have largely been trapped in the territory since then, with the entry of food, goods and aid strictly controlled by Israel.

Here is what to know.

What happened to the flotilla on Wednesday?

Israel intercepted a flotilla of boats carrying humanitarian aid, according to statements from the flotilla organisers.

They reported that Israeli naval forces boarded the vessels about 70 nautical miles (130km) off the coast of Gaza, cutting communications and jamming signals as the flotilla neared the blockaded enclave.

In total, at least 13 vessels that are part of the flotilla have been intercepted at sea.

Saif Abukeshek, spokesperson for the Global Sumud Flotilla, said more than 201 people from 37 countries were on board these boats. This included 30 participants from Spain, 22 from Italy, 21 from Turkiye and 12 from Malaysia, among others.

“We have around 30 ships that are still fighting their way away from the military vessels of the occupation forces trying to reach to the shores of Gaza. They are determined,” he added.

Those are now 85km (46 nautical miles) from Gaza’s coast, according to the flotilla organisers.

The flotilla’s progress across the Mediterranean had already drawn international attention, and the arrests of activists on board sparked protests in cities including Rome, Buenos Aires and Istanbul on Wednesday night.

Earlier in the day, activists described shadowy encounters with unlit boats and drones tailing the convoy, heightening tensions on board.

“On Wednesday … at around 8:30pm [17:30 GMT], multiple vessels of Global Sumud Flotilla – notably Alma, Surius, Adara – were illegally intercepted and boarded by Israeli Occupation Forces in international waters,” a flotilla statement said.

“Prior to illegally boarding the ships, it appears as though the Israeli naval vessels intentionally damaged ship communications, in an attempt to block distress signals and stop the livestream of their illegal boat boarding.”

Despite carrying only a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, the flotilla had pressed forward with its mission to establish a maritime corridor into Gaza, where nearly two years of Israel’s war have left the population facing an acute humanitarian crisis.

How did Israel respond?

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a video showing a woman in military uniform speaking by phone, introducing herself as a representative of the Israeli navy.

In the call, she warns the flotilla that it is nearing a restricted, blockaded area and explains that any aid for Gaza must be sent “through the established channels”.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, also said that activists on board the Gaza aid flotilla will be deported once the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur concludes on Thursday.

“Reports suggest more interceptions are expected,” Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Doha, said.

“Israeli soldiers have boarded the ships and detained many of the activists on board. Those detained would normally go through a legal process, but Israel is currently under near-total shutdown because of the Yom Kippur holiday,” she added.

“That means courts and prisons are not functioning, creating a limbo for the activists if they are detained.”

A video published by Israel’s Foreign Ministry showed Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate campaigner, sitting on a deck with soldiers around her.

“Several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port,” the ministry said on X. “Greta and her friends are safe and healthy.”

Since 2009, Israel has formally enforced a naval blockade it says is necessary to prevent weapons from being smuggled in. Israeli authorities have also alleged that some flotilla organisers are connected to Hamas, a claim the activists strongly reject as unfounded. Israel has yet to present any evidence to prove its claims.

What else do we know about the current flotilla?

The Global Sumud Flotilla set sail in late August 2025, departing from ports in Spain and Italy before stopping in Greece and Tunisia as it made its way across the Mediterranean.

The mission began with more than 50 vessels representing at least 44 countries, carrying hundreds of international volunteers, activists and lawmakers. Among them are 24 Americans, including several military veterans, according to the organisers.

On board were symbolic yet significant amounts of humanitarian cargo, including food, medical supplies and other essentials for Gaza’s population.

Activists reported several hostile encounters at sea, including suspected drone attacks near Malta and Crete, which left some vessels damaged and forced to withdraw. By the time the flotilla neared the eastern Mediterranean, 44 ships remained in the convoy.

International attention grew as the flotilla pressed on. Spain and Italy both deployed naval vessels to monitor its progress and offer assistance if required, while governments across Europe and beyond urged restraint from all parties. (Al Jazeera)

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