ASHDOD – On 1 to 2 October 2025, the Israeli Navy stopped the Global Sumud Flotilla (Gaza Flotilla) roughly 70 to 80 nautical miles off Gaza. The convoy had more than 40 boats carrying aid, including food, water, and medical supplies.
It was organized by activists from over 40 countries to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, in place since 2007. Israeli forces boarded and seized almost all the vessels, with reports ranging from 39 to 44 ships, and detained about 450 to 500 people.
The operation ran from 2 October, overlapping with Yom Kippur, and hundreds of police were deployed to process detainees at Ashdod port.
Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate activist, was among those detained. She was aboard the vessel Alma. This was her second detention after being deported in June 2025, following another Freedom Flotilla Coalition effort.
Other high-profile detainees included European politicians such as Rima Hassan from the European Parliament and Ada Colau, the former mayor of Barcelona, along with campaigners from Australia, Colombia, South Africa, and Turkey. Organizers said there were no injuries, but described the interception as an illegal attack in international waters.
Detainees, including Thunberg, are being held in a maximum-security site in Israel. This marks a shift from earlier flotilla cases, where activists went through standard immigration centres.
Israeli international law scholar Omer Shatz called it an escalation, noting the facility is a high-security prison usually used for terrorism suspects, with a reputation for harsh conditions, isolation, and limited access.
By Friday, detainees held near Ashdod were reported to face possible jail time in what officials called a notorious high-security wing reserved for terrorism suspects. Hebrew media, echoed by activist updates, suggested authorities planned to label participants as threats, which could allow up to 60 days of detention before deportation.
Flotilla spokesperson Huwaida Arraf accused Israel of state terrorism and said the boarding violated international law. The group posted on X that people of conscience had been abducted and said the flotilla broke no laws.
The statement added, “What is illegal is Israel’s genocide, Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza, and Israel’s use of starvation as a weapon.”
Among those detained were American actress Susan Sarandon, Mandla Mandela, European lawmakers from Spain and Italy, and U.S. veteran Greg Stoker, who described a dozen Israeli naval ships approaching with transponders off as intimidating.
Israel’s government described the flotilla as a provocation aligned with Hamas interests. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the navy for stopping dozens of vessels from entering a war zone and for pushing back against a campaign to delegitimize Israel.
The Foreign Ministry dismissed the boats as selfie yachts and provocation yachts, and said aid could be inspected and delivered through Israeli ports.
The IDF said the blockade is lawful for security reasons, alleged links between the flotilla and Hamas that organizers deny, and insisted aid should move through inspected land routes.
Critics, including UN spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan, argue that Israel, as the occupying power, must allow unimpeded aid, citing Gaza’s famine designation by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification and severe medical shortages.
For now, Thunberg and many others remain in detention in a facility tied to Israel’s hardline security approach. Their supporters say the case carries heavy symbolic weight, even as authorities treat it as a security matter.
