On Thursday, Israel intercepted ships in international waters near Greece as part of an aid flotilla heading to the Gaza Strip. The organizers of the “Resilience Flotilla” denounced this step, which they described as “an exacerbation of Israel’s impunity.” The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the arrest of 175 activists, including French, but organizers stated that the number of detainees reached 211 people. Tel Aviv had stopped a previous flotilla organized by the same initiative last October to try to reach the besieged Gaza Strip, and arrested Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and more than 450 participants.
Published on: 04/30/2026 - 08:11 Last updated: 04/30/2026 - 12:53
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Organizers of a flotilla of aid ships heading to the Gaza Strip confirmed on Thursday that Israel had intercepted ships in international waters near Greece.
A second fleet carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza sailed from Barcelona, Spain, on April 12, in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade. The Global Resilience Fleet initiative explained that Israel took control of the ships hundreds of miles from Gaza.
She said in a statement, "This is piracy... This is the illegal detention of people at sea near the island of Crete, and it is confirmation that Israel can operate with complete impunity, very far from its borders, and without suffering any consequences."
Read also: Gaza: Recent Israeli maps reveal an expanded military control area in the Strip
For his part, Danny Danon, Israel's envoy to the United Nations, said that the flotilla "was stopped before reaching our region." “Our brave soldiers in the IDF are acting professionally and with determination in dealing with a group of imaginary inciters seeking attention,” he wrote in a post on X.
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Israeli Navy intercepted about 175 activists from the “Global Resilience Fleet” heading to the Gaza Strip off Greece and they were on their way to the Hebrew state.
The ministry wrote on the
The organizers of this flotilla, which includes pro-Palestinian activists seeking to break the siege imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip and deliver aid to it, had previously reported that Israeli military ships surrounded their boats while they were off the coast of the Greek island of Crete and detained 211 activists.
The Global Resilience Fleet said in a statement, “At the time of publishing this statement (06:30 Paris time, 04:30 GMT), at least 22 out of 58 boats had been raided by Israeli forces in complete violation of international law.” The organization added that among those arrested were French citizens.
The fleet had sailed in recent weeks from Marseille in France, Barcelona in Spain and Syracuse in Italy. Overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, organizers said the boats were “illegally trapped” by Israeli vessels. The remaining boats are still near the island of Crete, according to direct tracking on the organization’s website.
"Laser and assault weapons"
The organization said, "Our boats were approached by speedy military boats that identified themselves as 'Israel'. They directed laser beams and semi-automatic assault weapons, and ordered the participants to advance to the front of the boats and kneel." She added, "Communications on the boats are being disrupted and a distress call has been issued."
In the summer and fall of 2025, the first trip of the “Global Resilience” fleet across the Mediterranean towards Gaza received widespread global attention.
Israel intercepted that flotilla's boats off the coast of Egypt and the Gaza Strip in early October. The Israeli operation, which organizers and Amnesty International described as illegal, sparked international condemnation. The crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were arrested before Israel deported them.
Israel, which controls all the Gaza Strip's ports, denies withholding supplies from its population of more than two million people. However, Palestinians and international aid agencies say supplies reaching the Strip are still insufficient despite a ceasefire agreement reached in October that included guarantees of increased aid.
France 24/Reuters/AFP
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