As Israeli Forces Seize Final Sumud Boat, Another Flotilla Sails Toward Gaza
“As journalists and medical professionals, we carry the responsibility to speak truth and preserve life,” said an Italian surgeon.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition livestreams from a boat that has joined a group a vessels sailing toward the Gaza Strip in hopes of breaking Israel’s blockade on October 3, 2025.
(Photo: screenshot/Freedom Flotilla Coalition/YouTube)
Jessica Corbett
Oct 03, 2025
C0MMON DREAMS
As Israeli forces on Friday captured the last remaining vessel from the Global Sumud Flotilla that aimed to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid, another group of boats was headed for the Palestinian territory.
The 11 vessels, most of which started sailing last week, are “carrying over 150 healthcare workers, journalists, and activists,” according to organizers, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and Thousand Madleens to Gaza.
“As journalists and medical professionals, we carry the responsibility to speak truth and preserve life,” said Dr. Ricardo Corradini, a general surgeon from Italy, in a statement. “This mission is an appeal to our colleagues—and to the institutions that represent us globally—to break their silence, uphold their ethics, and stand on the right side of history.”
FFC highlighted earlier this week that the ship ”Conscience, bombed by Israel off the coast of Malta in May 2025, has returned to serve as a vehicle for medics and media determined to reach their colleagues in besieged Gaza.”
Huwaida Arraf, an FFC steering committee member aboard Conscience, said that it “is the latest and largest boat in this historic flotilla—and its name represents not only steadfast resistance to Israel’s illegal blockade, but a call to awaken the conscience of the world.”
Since Israeli forces began intercepting Global Sumud Flotilla vessels late Wednesday, a fresh wave of global protests has occurred. People around the world have repeatedly taken to the streets over the past two years, as Israel has responded to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack by devastating infrastructure across Gaza, including healthcare facilities, wounding at least 169,165 Palestinians, and slaughtering at least 66,288.
Experts warn the true death toll in Gaza is likely much higher. Among the dead are many doctors and nurses—one count, from Healthcare Workers Watch, said at least 1,200 as of February. Israel’s killing of Gaza’s healthcare professionals continued this week with the death of Omar Hayek from Doctors Without Borders, or Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
The Israeli attack that killed Hayek and wounded four others “took place on a street where our teams were waiting to take a bus to the MSF field hospital in Deir al-Balah. All staff were wearing MSF vests, clearly identifying them as medical humanitarian workers,” the group said Thursday. “We express deep sorrow and outrage over the killing, which occurs less than two weeks after another MSF colleague, Hussein Alnajjar, was killed by the Israeli forces, in Deir al-Balah.”
Also among the dead are over 200 journalists, with recent tallies ranging from 223 to 270. The Israeli government has prevented international reporters from entering Gaza—and has been widely accused of intentionally killing Palestinian journalists who have reported on the genocide while trying to survive it.
Global press freedom groups have frequently spoken out against Irsael’s treatment of journalists, including this week, when Israeli forces took members of the media into custody while blocking the Global Sumud Flotilla from reaching Gaza.
“Arresting journalists and preventing them from doing their work is a serious violation of the right to inform and be informed,” said Martin Roux, head of the Crisis Desk at Reporters Without Borders, or Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), in a Thursday statement.
“RSF condemns the illegal arrest of the news professionals who were on board these ships to cover a humanitarian operation of unprecedented scale,” Roux continued. “The Israeli army, which has killed over 210 Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip, is continuing its media blockade of the Gaza Strip with these illegal arrests at sea, with the obvious goal of covering up the crimes it is committing against the Palestinian population. RSF urges Israel to respect the status of journalists, protect them, and guarantee their safety in accordance with international law.”
Early Friday, the flotilla announced on Instagram that ”Marinette, the last remaining boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla, was intercepted at 10:29 am local time, approximately 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza.”
Over 38 hours, Israeli occupation naval forces illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels—each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza.
“As journalists and medical professionals, we carry the responsibility to speak truth and preserve life,” said an Italian surgeon.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition livestreams from a boat that has joined a group a vessels sailing toward the Gaza Strip in hopes of breaking Israel’s blockade on October 3, 2025.
(Photo: screenshot/Freedom Flotilla Coalition/YouTube)
Jessica Corbett
Oct 03, 2025
C0MMON DREAMS
As Israeli forces on Friday captured the last remaining vessel from the Global Sumud Flotilla that aimed to break Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip and deliver humanitarian aid, another group of boats was headed for the Palestinian territory.
The 11 vessels, most of which started sailing last week, are “carrying over 150 healthcare workers, journalists, and activists,” according to organizers, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and Thousand Madleens to Gaza.
“As journalists and medical professionals, we carry the responsibility to speak truth and preserve life,” said Dr. Ricardo Corradini, a general surgeon from Italy, in a statement. “This mission is an appeal to our colleagues—and to the institutions that represent us globally—to break their silence, uphold their ethics, and stand on the right side of history.”
FFC highlighted earlier this week that the ship ”Conscience, bombed by Israel off the coast of Malta in May 2025, has returned to serve as a vehicle for medics and media determined to reach their colleagues in besieged Gaza.”
Huwaida Arraf, an FFC steering committee member aboard Conscience, said that it “is the latest and largest boat in this historic flotilla—and its name represents not only steadfast resistance to Israel’s illegal blockade, but a call to awaken the conscience of the world.”
Since Israeli forces began intercepting Global Sumud Flotilla vessels late Wednesday, a fresh wave of global protests has occurred. People around the world have repeatedly taken to the streets over the past two years, as Israel has responded to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack by devastating infrastructure across Gaza, including healthcare facilities, wounding at least 169,165 Palestinians, and slaughtering at least 66,288.
Experts warn the true death toll in Gaza is likely much higher. Among the dead are many doctors and nurses—one count, from Healthcare Workers Watch, said at least 1,200 as of February. Israel’s killing of Gaza’s healthcare professionals continued this week with the death of Omar Hayek from Doctors Without Borders, or Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
The Israeli attack that killed Hayek and wounded four others “took place on a street where our teams were waiting to take a bus to the MSF field hospital in Deir al-Balah. All staff were wearing MSF vests, clearly identifying them as medical humanitarian workers,” the group said Thursday. “We express deep sorrow and outrage over the killing, which occurs less than two weeks after another MSF colleague, Hussein Alnajjar, was killed by the Israeli forces, in Deir al-Balah.”
Also among the dead are over 200 journalists, with recent tallies ranging from 223 to 270. The Israeli government has prevented international reporters from entering Gaza—and has been widely accused of intentionally killing Palestinian journalists who have reported on the genocide while trying to survive it.
Global press freedom groups have frequently spoken out against Irsael’s treatment of journalists, including this week, when Israeli forces took members of the media into custody while blocking the Global Sumud Flotilla from reaching Gaza.
“Arresting journalists and preventing them from doing their work is a serious violation of the right to inform and be informed,” said Martin Roux, head of the Crisis Desk at Reporters Without Borders, or Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), in a Thursday statement.
“RSF condemns the illegal arrest of the news professionals who were on board these ships to cover a humanitarian operation of unprecedented scale,” Roux continued. “The Israeli army, which has killed over 210 Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip, is continuing its media blockade of the Gaza Strip with these illegal arrests at sea, with the obvious goal of covering up the crimes it is committing against the Palestinian population. RSF urges Israel to respect the status of journalists, protect them, and guarantee their safety in accordance with international law.”
Early Friday, the flotilla announced on Instagram that ”Marinette, the last remaining boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla, was intercepted at 10:29 am local time, approximately 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza.”
According to the flotilla, whose more than 450 members included politicians, actors, and activists from dozens of countries:
Over 38 hours, Israeli occupation naval forces illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels—each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza.
Marinette sailed forward with the spirit of sumud—steadfastness—even after seeing the fate of 41 boats before her.
But this is not the end of our mission. Our determination to confront Israel’s atrocities and stand with the Palestinian people remains unshaken.
As people rise up in cities worldwide to demand an end to these horrors and to take a stand for humanity, we rise together with one voice.
We will not stop until the genocide ends. We will not stop until Palestine is free.
Until the interception, the flotilla faced repeated attacks widely believed to be from Israel, whose Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday continued to smear the peaceful humanitarian mission as the “Hamas-Sumud provocation” and a “sham.”
“Already four Italian citizens have been deported. The rest are in the process of being deported. Israel is keen to end this procedure as quickly as possible,” the ministry said on social media. “All are safe and in good health.”
In a Friday statement about the Global Sumud Flotilla, Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights group in the United States, said that “the detention of these humanitarian volunteers, including American citizens, is deeply troubling and completely unacceptable.”
“These are civilians engaged in delivering essential aid to people in desperate need in Gaza,” he continued. “Denying them legal counsel, holding them incommunicado, and putting them at risk for simply performing humanitarian work is a flagrant violation of human rights and the principles the United States stands for. We urge the US government to act immediately to secure their safe release and make clear that targeting Americans performing humanitarian missions will not be tolerated.”
Under President Donald Trump and his Democratic predecessor, the United States has provided Israel with diplomatic support on the global stage and billions of dollars in military aid. Joined at the White House on Monday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who is wanted by the International Criminal Court—Trump unveiled a proposed peace plan for Gaza.
In a long post on his Truth Social platform Friday morning, Trump railed against Hamas and gave the group that has governed Gaza for the past two decades until Sunday at 6:00 pm Eastern Time to agree to his proposal. Trump wrote, “If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.”
But this is not the end of our mission. Our determination to confront Israel’s atrocities and stand with the Palestinian people remains unshaken.
As people rise up in cities worldwide to demand an end to these horrors and to take a stand for humanity, we rise together with one voice.
We will not stop until the genocide ends. We will not stop until Palestine is free.
Until the interception, the flotilla faced repeated attacks widely believed to be from Israel, whose Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday continued to smear the peaceful humanitarian mission as the “Hamas-Sumud provocation” and a “sham.”
“Already four Italian citizens have been deported. The rest are in the process of being deported. Israel is keen to end this procedure as quickly as possible,” the ministry said on social media. “All are safe and in good health.”
In a Friday statement about the Global Sumud Flotilla, Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights group in the United States, said that “the detention of these humanitarian volunteers, including American citizens, is deeply troubling and completely unacceptable.”
“These are civilians engaged in delivering essential aid to people in desperate need in Gaza,” he continued. “Denying them legal counsel, holding them incommunicado, and putting them at risk for simply performing humanitarian work is a flagrant violation of human rights and the principles the United States stands for. We urge the US government to act immediately to secure their safe release and make clear that targeting Americans performing humanitarian missions will not be tolerated.”
Under President Donald Trump and his Democratic predecessor, the United States has provided Israel with diplomatic support on the global stage and billions of dollars in military aid. Joined at the White House on Monday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who is wanted by the International Criminal Court—Trump unveiled a proposed peace plan for Gaza.
In a long post on his Truth Social platform Friday morning, Trump railed against Hamas and gave the group that has governed Gaza for the past two decades until Sunday at 6:00 pm Eastern Time to agree to his proposal. Trump wrote, “If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.”
The last remaining vessel of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla was intercepted by Israel on Friday, according to its organisers. The flotilla – consisting of dozens of ships – set sail last month, ferrying politicians, activists and aid towards Gaza before the Israeli navy began intercepting the vessels on Wednesday.
Issued on: 03/10/2025 -
By: FRANCE 24
Activists in orange life jackets sit aboard a Gaza-bound Sumud flotilla boat as Israeli navy soldiers sail it into the port of Ashdod, Israel on Thursday, after it was intercepted while approaching the Gaza coast. © Leo Correa, AP
The organisers of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla said Israel intercepted its last remaining boat on Friday, after the interceptions of its fellow vessels drew protests worldwide.
"Marinette, the last remaining boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla, was intercepted at 10:29am (07:29 GMT) local time, approximately 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza," the flotilla said on Telegram, adding that Israeli naval forces had "illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels – each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza".
The Global Sumud Flotilla – consisting of dozens of ships – set sail last month, ferrying politicians and activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, towards Gaza, where the United Nations says famine is taking hold.
The Israeli navy began intercepting them on Wednesday, and an Israeli official said the following day that boats with more than 400 people on board had been prevented from reaching the coastal territory.
The flotilla said on Friday that 42 vessels had been "illegally intercepted" and their passengers "unlawfully abducted".
That left just one ship, the Marinette, pressing ahead with its mission to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, until it was intercepted.
The organisers of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla said Israel intercepted its last remaining boat on Friday, after the interceptions of its fellow vessels drew protests worldwide.
"Marinette, the last remaining boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla, was intercepted at 10:29am (07:29 GMT) local time, approximately 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza," the flotilla said on Telegram, adding that Israeli naval forces had "illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels – each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel's illegal siege on Gaza".
The Global Sumud Flotilla – consisting of dozens of ships – set sail last month, ferrying politicians and activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, towards Gaza, where the United Nations says famine is taking hold.
The Israeli navy began intercepting them on Wednesday, and an Israeli official said the following day that boats with more than 400 people on board had been prevented from reaching the coastal territory.
The flotilla said on Friday that 42 vessels had been "illegally intercepted" and their passengers "unlawfully abducted".
That left just one ship, the Marinette, pressing ahead with its mission to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, until it was intercepted.
Israeli navy interceptions of the flotilla's vessels drew worldwide protests © Federico PARRA / AFP
Protesters around the world held rallies on Thursday condemning Israel's interceptions and urging greater sanctions in response.
About 15,000 people marched in Barcelona – where the flotilla began its voyage – chanting slogans including "Gaza, you are not alone", "Boycott Israel" and "Freedom for Palestine".
Hundreds also gathered outside the Irish parliament in Dublin, where Miriam McNally, whose daughter was sailing with the flotilla, said she was "worried sick".
Protests also took place in Paris, Berlin, The Hague, Tunis, Brasilia and Buenos Aires, according to AFP correspondents.
Protesters around the world held rallies on Thursday condemning Israel's interceptions and urging greater sanctions in response.
About 15,000 people marched in Barcelona – where the flotilla began its voyage – chanting slogans including "Gaza, you are not alone", "Boycott Israel" and "Freedom for Palestine".
Hundreds also gathered outside the Irish parliament in Dublin, where Miriam McNally, whose daughter was sailing with the flotilla, said she was "worried sick".
Protests also took place in Paris, Berlin, The Hague, Tunis, Brasilia and Buenos Aires, according to AFP correspondents.
A boat from the Global Sumud Flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces off the Gaza coast is escorted to the Israeli port of Ashdod on October 2, 2025. © Saeed Qaq, AFP
01:48
01:48
Netanyahu praise
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the interceptions.
"I commend the soldiers and commanders of the navy who carried out their mission on Yom Kippur in the most professional and efficient manner," he said in a statement on Thursday.
Protesters around the world held rallies on Thursday condemning Israel's interceptions and urging greater sanctions © KEMAL ASLAN / AFP
"Their important action prevented dozens of vessels from entering the war zone and repelled a campaign of delegitimisation against Israel."
Gaza's civil defence agency and hospitals said Israeli strikes on the territory killed at least 52 people on Thursday, including an employee of the French charity Doctors Without Borders.
Read moreGaza: An American nurse films hospital destruction
The nearly two-year war was sparked by Palestinian militant group Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign since then has killed 66,225 Palestinians in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
"Their important action prevented dozens of vessels from entering the war zone and repelled a campaign of delegitimisation against Israel."
Gaza's civil defence agency and hospitals said Israeli strikes on the territory killed at least 52 people on Thursday, including an employee of the French charity Doctors Without Borders.
Read moreGaza: An American nurse films hospital destruction
The nearly two-year war was sparked by Palestinian militant group Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign since then has killed 66,225 Palestinians in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Attack on Flotilla Shows How Far Israel Will Go to Keep ‘Deliberately Starving’ Gaza: Amnesty
“By continuing to actively block vital aid to a population against whom Israel is committing genocide, including by inflicting famine, Israel is once again demonstrating its utter contempt for the legally binding orders of the International Court of Justice,” says Amnesty International’s secretary-general Agnès Callamard.
Palestinian children wait with their empty pots to receive hot meals distributed by charity organizations, as people struggle with hunger due to the Israeli food blockade at Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, on October 2, 2025.
(Photo by Moiz Salhi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Jon Queally
Oct 02, 2025
COMMON DREAMS
Amid international outrage and protest over the interdiction and detention of humanitarians aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli military forces, Amnesty International on Thursday said the effort to block the approximately 40 vessels bound to Gaza with life-saving aid shows just how far the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will go to keep “deliberately starving” innocent Palestinians in the besieged enclave.
“Israel’s forceful interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla vessels and detention of its crew off the coast of Gaza is a brazen assault against solidarity activists carrying out an entirely peaceful humanitarian mission,” said Amnesty’s secretary-general Agnès Callamard in a statement. “This seizure comes after weeks of threats and incitement by Israeli officials against the flotilla and its participants and after several attempts to sabotage some of its ships.”
“By continuing to actively block vital aid to a population against whom Israel is committing genocide, including by inflicting famine, Israel is once again demonstrating its utter contempt for the legally binding orders of the International Court of Justice and its own obligations as the occupying power to ensure Palestinians in Gaza have access to sufficient food and lifesaving humanitarian assistance.
Protests erupted in cities across Europe, the Middle East, and worldwide on Wednesday night after news of the interdiction spread. Though not unexpected, the military assault on the nonviolent flotilla occurred in international waters, eliciting accusations of piracy and lawlessness on the high seas by the Israeli military and its civilian leadership.
In a Thursday morning statement, the group detailed what happened to their flotilla and reminded people worldwide of their purpose:
At approximately 10:00 PM EEST on October 1st, the IOF launched their assault on the Global Sumud Flotilla.
The world bore witness as unarmed civilians carrying humanitarian aid were subjected to intimidation and interception in the final hours of their peaceful mission to Gaza.
As the sun rises, the actions taken under the cover of darkness could not be more clear: they are the desperate maneuvers of an oppressor.
Our spirits are not broken and our resolve is only strengthened.
“This interception is not just about blocking aid,” said Callamard. “It is a calculated act of intimidation intended to punish and silence critics of Israel’s genocide and its unlawful blockade on Gaza. The incitement and threats that preceded it are also a shameless attempt to demonize peaceful solidarity initiatives seeking to end Israel’s genocide and the cruel blockade it has imposed on Gaza since 2007 and significantly tightened since October 2023.”
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday announced that a documented 151 children have now died in Gaza of starvation imposed on them by Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid amid constant bombardment and evacuation orders which have displaced individuals and families without relent.
UNICEF stressed, according to the UN News Centre, “that Gaza’s malnutrition crisis has reached catastrophic levels with the entire child population under five—more than 320,000 children—at risk of acute malnutrition.”
With at least 14,383 children acutely malnourished in August, acute malnutrition among young people is up 500% from the beginning of this calendar year, all while aid groups from across the world have sounded the alarm and called for international intervention and the end of the forced starvation.
“This war must end now. Aid must be allowed into the Gaza Strip, including food and nutrition supplies. Humanitarians must be allowed to do their jobs,” said UNICEF communication manager Tess Ingram.
“The children of Gaza,” she said, “are being punished by these decisions and it’s killing them.”
For her part, Callamard said the attack on the peaceful humanitarian flotilla means that time for rhetoric and simple rebuke has long passed.
“The time for mere condemnation is over. States worldwide must act now and now make clear that they will no longer tolerate Israel’s systematic starvation of Palestinians in Gaza nor its targeting of unarmed civilian humanitarian efforts,” she said. “The decades-long impunity for Israel’s blatant violations of international law must end, nothing can justify genocide.
Callamard demanded the “immediate and safe return of all those detained and allow unhindered access to Gaza for the other ships. They must also press Israel to lift its suffocating 18-year blockade and allow humanitarian aid to be delivered through all crossings into and throughout Gaza now.”
“By continuing to actively block vital aid to a population against whom Israel is committing genocide, including by inflicting famine, Israel is once again demonstrating its utter contempt for the legally binding orders of the International Court of Justice,” says Amnesty International’s secretary-general Agnès Callamard.
Palestinian children wait with their empty pots to receive hot meals distributed by charity organizations, as people struggle with hunger due to the Israeli food blockade at Nuseirat refugee camp in Gaza, on October 2, 2025.
(Photo by Moiz Salhi/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Jon Queally
Oct 02, 2025
COMMON DREAMS
Amid international outrage and protest over the interdiction and detention of humanitarians aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla by Israeli military forces, Amnesty International on Thursday said the effort to block the approximately 40 vessels bound to Gaza with life-saving aid shows just how far the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will go to keep “deliberately starving” innocent Palestinians in the besieged enclave.
“Israel’s forceful interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla vessels and detention of its crew off the coast of Gaza is a brazen assault against solidarity activists carrying out an entirely peaceful humanitarian mission,” said Amnesty’s secretary-general Agnès Callamard in a statement. “This seizure comes after weeks of threats and incitement by Israeli officials against the flotilla and its participants and after several attempts to sabotage some of its ships.”
“By continuing to actively block vital aid to a population against whom Israel is committing genocide, including by inflicting famine, Israel is once again demonstrating its utter contempt for the legally binding orders of the International Court of Justice and its own obligations as the occupying power to ensure Palestinians in Gaza have access to sufficient food and lifesaving humanitarian assistance.
Protests erupted in cities across Europe, the Middle East, and worldwide on Wednesday night after news of the interdiction spread. Though not unexpected, the military assault on the nonviolent flotilla occurred in international waters, eliciting accusations of piracy and lawlessness on the high seas by the Israeli military and its civilian leadership.
In a Thursday morning statement, the group detailed what happened to their flotilla and reminded people worldwide of their purpose:
At approximately 10:00 PM EEST on October 1st, the IOF launched their assault on the Global Sumud Flotilla.
The world bore witness as unarmed civilians carrying humanitarian aid were subjected to intimidation and interception in the final hours of their peaceful mission to Gaza.
As the sun rises, the actions taken under the cover of darkness could not be more clear: they are the desperate maneuvers of an oppressor.
Our spirits are not broken and our resolve is only strengthened.
“This interception is not just about blocking aid,” said Callamard. “It is a calculated act of intimidation intended to punish and silence critics of Israel’s genocide and its unlawful blockade on Gaza. The incitement and threats that preceded it are also a shameless attempt to demonize peaceful solidarity initiatives seeking to end Israel’s genocide and the cruel blockade it has imposed on Gaza since 2007 and significantly tightened since October 2023.”
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Wednesday announced that a documented 151 children have now died in Gaza of starvation imposed on them by Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid amid constant bombardment and evacuation orders which have displaced individuals and families without relent.
UNICEF stressed, according to the UN News Centre, “that Gaza’s malnutrition crisis has reached catastrophic levels with the entire child population under five—more than 320,000 children—at risk of acute malnutrition.”
With at least 14,383 children acutely malnourished in August, acute malnutrition among young people is up 500% from the beginning of this calendar year, all while aid groups from across the world have sounded the alarm and called for international intervention and the end of the forced starvation.
“This war must end now. Aid must be allowed into the Gaza Strip, including food and nutrition supplies. Humanitarians must be allowed to do their jobs,” said UNICEF communication manager Tess Ingram.
“The children of Gaza,” she said, “are being punished by these decisions and it’s killing them.”
For her part, Callamard said the attack on the peaceful humanitarian flotilla means that time for rhetoric and simple rebuke has long passed.
“The time for mere condemnation is over. States worldwide must act now and now make clear that they will no longer tolerate Israel’s systematic starvation of Palestinians in Gaza nor its targeting of unarmed civilian humanitarian efforts,” she said. “The decades-long impunity for Israel’s blatant violations of international law must end, nothing can justify genocide.
Callamard demanded the “immediate and safe return of all those detained and allow unhindered access to Gaza for the other ships. They must also press Israel to lift its suffocating 18-year blockade and allow humanitarian aid to be delivered through all crossings into and throughout Gaza now.”
Israeli Forces Spark Global Outrage by Intercepting Sumud Flotilla Off Gaza Coast
“History will side with the flotilla,” said former UK Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Dockworkers, students, and members of the public protest at the Port of Genoa as news breaks that Israeli forces have intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla on October 1, 2025 in Genoa, Italy.
(Photo by Emanuela Zampa/Getty Images)
‘Pure Incitement’: Google Rebuked Over Israeli Sponsored Propaganda Aimed at Global Sumud Flotilla
“History will side with the flotilla,” said former UK Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn, who remains in Parliament. “And their bravery will only inspire more people to join our global movement for Palestine.”
Turkey’s foreign ministry described the interception as a “terrorist act... which targeted civilians acting peacefully,” while Colombian President Gustavo Petro booted the entire Israeli diplomatic delegation from his country immediately following the news.
In Barcelona, hundreds of outraged protesters gathered outside the Israeli consulate. Similar scenes broke out in other cities around the world, including Istanbul and Brussels.
The Guardian reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) boarded at least two vessels roughly 75 miles away from Gaza. A livestream from the flotilla showed signals from boat after boat going dark after the convoy was surrounded by over 20 Israeli naval ships.
According to Drop Site News—whose editor Alex Colston has been reporting from one of the vessels—by midnight local time, at least six boats from the flotilla had been intercepted and boarded by the IDF.
After midnight, one sailor shared on the livestream that Israeli ships were spraying the flotilla boats with water cannons. By 1:00 am, the stream only showed the Meteque, where sailors held their hands above their heads as the IDF ordered them to stop their engine.
Another video shows the people aboard the vessels defiantly chanting pro-Palestine slogans at Israeli ships.
The flotilla’s more than 40 civilian boats are carrying hundreds of humanitarians, journalists, and other noteworthy figures from dozens of countries around the world. They include the late South African President Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela; American actress Susan Sarandon; former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau; and multiple other European politicians.
Another video shows one of the flotilla’s most famous participants, 22-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, being detained by an IDF soldier.
The flotilla set sail from Barcelona a few weeks ago, in response to Israel’s illegal near-total blockade of humanitarian aid entering Gaza, which has resulted in mass starvation. A group of United Nations experts warned in early September that any attempt by Israel to stop the vessels from delivering aid “would constitute a grave violation of international law and humanitarian principles.”
Throughout their journey toward Gaza, the flotilla members have faced numerous threats from the Israeli government, which has attempted to smear the humanitarian mission as an effort to advance the agenda of Hamas.
Last week, while still off the coast of Greece, the flotilla was swarmed with drones and attacked with flash-bang grenades believed to have been launched by Israel, which has a history of targeting such missions. That attack initially led the governments of Italy and Spain to send naval ships to offer protection to the flotilla, but they have since turned back as the boats moved closer to Gaza.
Israel’s actions against the Global Sumud Flotilla follow its interception of multiple Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla Coalition boats earlier this year. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Wednesday that “once again, the Israeli occupation has demonstrated that it will kidnap humanitarian activists and engage in piracy in international waters, all to maintain its lawless blockade of the Palestinian people.”
“Every nation that pays lip service to international law should condemn this illegal attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla and take their own steps to forcibly break the siege of Gaza,” he argued. “In the case of Western nations that continue to enable Israel’s genocide even as their own citizens risk life and limb to stop it, anti-Palestinian racism and the influence of anti-Palestinian lobby groups clearly explains their ongoing complicity.”
“We applaud the participants in the flotilla for their courage,” he added, “we demand their immediate release, and we urge the international community, including Western, Arab, and Muslim nations, to take action against the Israeli occupation for its crimes.“”
“History will side with the flotilla,” said former UK Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Dockworkers, students, and members of the public protest at the Port of Genoa as news breaks that Israeli forces have intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla on October 1, 2025 in Genoa, Italy.
(Photo by Emanuela Zampa/Getty Images)
COMMON DREAMS
Oct 01, 2025
Israel intercepted multiple boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla seeking to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip late Wednesday, generating outrage and displays of solidarity from across the globe.
Oct 01, 2025
Israel intercepted multiple boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla seeking to bring humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip late Wednesday, generating outrage and displays of solidarity from across the globe.
‘Pure Incitement’: Google Rebuked Over Israeli Sponsored Propaganda Aimed at Global Sumud Flotilla
“History will side with the flotilla,” said former UK Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn, who remains in Parliament. “And their bravery will only inspire more people to join our global movement for Palestine.”
Turkey’s foreign ministry described the interception as a “terrorist act... which targeted civilians acting peacefully,” while Colombian President Gustavo Petro booted the entire Israeli diplomatic delegation from his country immediately following the news.
In Barcelona, hundreds of outraged protesters gathered outside the Israeli consulate. Similar scenes broke out in other cities around the world, including Istanbul and Brussels.
The Guardian reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) boarded at least two vessels roughly 75 miles away from Gaza. A livestream from the flotilla showed signals from boat after boat going dark after the convoy was surrounded by over 20 Israeli naval ships.
According to Drop Site News—whose editor Alex Colston has been reporting from one of the vessels—by midnight local time, at least six boats from the flotilla had been intercepted and boarded by the IDF.
After midnight, one sailor shared on the livestream that Israeli ships were spraying the flotilla boats with water cannons. By 1:00 am, the stream only showed the Meteque, where sailors held their hands above their heads as the IDF ordered them to stop their engine.
Sailors on the Meteque, a boat with the Global Sumud Flotilla, held their hands above their heads as Israeli forces ordered them to stop their engine off the Gaza coast at around 1:00 am local time on October 2, 2025. (Photo: screenshot/Global Sumud Flotilla/YoutTube)
An earlier video from flotilla activists shows the moment that Brazilian organizer Thiago Ávila received a message from an IDF soldier who ordered the flotilla to turn around.
“You are entering an active war zone,” the soldier is heard saying over an intercom. “If you attempt to breach the naval blockade, we will stop your vessel and act to confiscate it through legal proceedings in court.”
In response, Ávila pointed to the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures on Gaza and the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ávila asked Israeli forces to “stand down,” “not commit another war crime,” and “not engage with our peaceful, nonviolent, humanitarian solidarity mission for the Palestinian people in Gaza.”
An earlier video from flotilla activists shows the moment that Brazilian organizer Thiago Ávila received a message from an IDF soldier who ordered the flotilla to turn around.
“You are entering an active war zone,” the soldier is heard saying over an intercom. “If you attempt to breach the naval blockade, we will stop your vessel and act to confiscate it through legal proceedings in court.”
In response, Ávila pointed to the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures on Gaza and the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ávila asked Israeli forces to “stand down,” “not commit another war crime,” and “not engage with our peaceful, nonviolent, humanitarian solidarity mission for the Palestinian people in Gaza.”
Another video shows the people aboard the vessels defiantly chanting pro-Palestine slogans at Israeli ships.
The flotilla’s more than 40 civilian boats are carrying hundreds of humanitarians, journalists, and other noteworthy figures from dozens of countries around the world. They include the late South African President Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela; American actress Susan Sarandon; former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau; and multiple other European politicians.
Another video shows one of the flotilla’s most famous participants, 22-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, being detained by an IDF soldier.
The flotilla set sail from Barcelona a few weeks ago, in response to Israel’s illegal near-total blockade of humanitarian aid entering Gaza, which has resulted in mass starvation. A group of United Nations experts warned in early September that any attempt by Israel to stop the vessels from delivering aid “would constitute a grave violation of international law and humanitarian principles.”
Throughout their journey toward Gaza, the flotilla members have faced numerous threats from the Israeli government, which has attempted to smear the humanitarian mission as an effort to advance the agenda of Hamas.
Last week, while still off the coast of Greece, the flotilla was swarmed with drones and attacked with flash-bang grenades believed to have been launched by Israel, which has a history of targeting such missions. That attack initially led the governments of Italy and Spain to send naval ships to offer protection to the flotilla, but they have since turned back as the boats moved closer to Gaza.
Israel’s actions against the Global Sumud Flotilla follow its interception of multiple Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla Coalition boats earlier this year. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, deputy executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Wednesday that “once again, the Israeli occupation has demonstrated that it will kidnap humanitarian activists and engage in piracy in international waters, all to maintain its lawless blockade of the Palestinian people.”
“Every nation that pays lip service to international law should condemn this illegal attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla and take their own steps to forcibly break the siege of Gaza,” he argued. “In the case of Western nations that continue to enable Israel’s genocide even as their own citizens risk life and limb to stop it, anti-Palestinian racism and the influence of anti-Palestinian lobby groups clearly explains their ongoing complicity.”
“We applaud the participants in the flotilla for their courage,” he added, “we demand their immediate release, and we urge the international community, including Western, Arab, and Muslim nations, to take action against the Israeli occupation for its crimes.“”
