The activists say that Israel intercepted help with the flotilla by sailing towards Gaza

Activists aboard a flotilla of ships sailing towards Gaza said on Wednesday evening that the Israeli Navy had intercepted three of its boats while they were approaching the besieged Palestinian territory. The Israeli authorities said that activists on board, including Greta Thunberg, were safe and transferred to Israel.

The world Flotilla Sumud, made up of nearly 50 boats and 500 activists, has a symbolic quantity of humanitarian aid in Gaza. Three ships were intercepted about 130 kilometers from the Gaza coast, according to organizers who shared live positions from Flatilla.

According to Greg Stoker, an American veteran aboard one of the other boats.

“They are currently living in our ships, telling us to deactivate our engines and wait for other instructions or our boats will be seized and we will face the consequences,” he said in a trembling video published on Instagram. Israeli authorities have used water cannons against certain boats, Stoker and other activists have reported social networks.

The group, which also includes the grandson of Nelson Mandela, Mandla Mandela, the former mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau and several European legislators, said that he was not discouraged in his mission to break the Israeli blockade and provide help to the Palestinians.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published a video on X showing Thunberg sitting on the deck of a ship given a bottle of water and a raincoat. “Greta and her friends are safe and healthy,” he said.

Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani said the Israeli operation was to take two to three hours. He told State TV Rai that boats would be towed to the port of Asrael and activists would be expelled in the coming days. He also said the Israeli forces had been informed “not to use violence.”

Look | Israeli video shows Thunberg:

The Greta Thunberg watch video on board Gaza Aid Flatilla

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel published a video on Wednesday, verified by Reuters, who seemed to show the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg surrounded by several masked and armed soldiers. The video accompanied a post of the ministry on X in which he declared that several ships of the Flatilla de Gaza Aid were arrested and that their passengers were transferred to an Israeli port.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has condemned the interception by Israel of boats denouncing it as an “act of terrorism” and a serious violation of international law. In a statement, the ministry said it was taking initiatives to ensure the immediate release of Turkish citizens and other passengers held by Israeli forces.

“Danger zone”

The ships were sailing in international waters in the north of Egypt, but had entered what activists and others called an “danger zone” – an area where the Israeli navy prevented other boats that try from breaking its blockade and that the flotilla has been warned not to cross.

After a tense meeting with two Israeli military ships in the early hours of Wednesday, activists had resumed their trip and spread their trip live from several of the boats. Some activists have retained solidarity messages with people in Gaza and chanted “Free Palestine!” to the camera. You could hear music playing in the background.

As night fell, they detected several unidentified ships via radar approaching them and put their life vests before the imminent arrival of the Israeli army. Some activists were able to disseminate the moment when Israeli forces approached them live from their smartphones before throwing their devices in the water.

The flotilla, which started its trip from the Spanish port in Barcelona a month ago, was to reach the banks of Gaza before Thursday morning, organizers said earlier.

Activists had recognized that the scenario was unlikely and expected the Israeli authorities to try to stop them at any time, as they did in past attempts.

But this flotilla, with dozens of boats, was the largest attempt to break the Israeli maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip which has been underway for 18 years.

The Israeli navy had contacted the flotilla earlier Wednesday warning them that they were approaching an “active combat zone” and asked them to change course, said the Israeli Foreign Affairs, reiterating its offer to transfer aid to Gaza via other channels. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Gideon Saar, described the Flatilla as provocation.

The Israeli government has accused some of the flotilla members of being linked to Hamas, while providing little evidence in support of the complaint. Activists firmly rejected the accusations and said ISRAEL was trying to justify potential attacks on them.

European governments, including Spain and Italy, who had sent their navy ships to escort the flotilla during part of its trip, urged activists to turn around and avoid confrontation. But while the first Italian Giorgia Meloni said late Tuesday on Tuesday, the actions of the flotilla risk undermining the recent proposal from US President Donald Trump to resolve the war in Gaza, the Spanish Prime Minister defended them.

“We must remember that it is a humanitarian mission that would not take place if the Israeli government had authorized the entrance to the aid,” Pedro Sanchez told journalists on Wednesday. The participating Spaniards would benefit from complete diplomatic protection, he added.

“They have no threats or danger to Israel,” he said.