OAN Staff Blake Wolf
10:23 AM – Thursday, October 2, 2025
The Israeli Navy intercepted and boarded numerous Global Sumud Flotilla vessels with pro-Palestine activists and humanitarian aid on board, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
The Flotilla group was comprised of 47 boats, carrying over 500 activists, including progressive climate change activist Greta Thunberg and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Mandela.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry shared footage of the military boarding Thunberg’s flotilla, along with the caption: “Already several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port. Greta and her friends are safe and healthy.”
As the ships were boarded, the activists could be heard yelling “Free Palestine!”
The group’s main goal was to break the blockade around Gaza to deliver more humanitarian aid to Palestinians, while “raising awareness of their suffering.”
Italy’s Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, stated that the boats will be towed to Israel’s port of Ashdod, where the activists will be processed and deported.
Days before the vessels were intercepted, the activists reported that some of their boats were struck by drones south of Greece, prompting Spain and Italy to send navy ships for potential rescues and safe passage.
The Global Sumud Flotilla also announced last Wednesday that it was attacked overnight by “unidentified drones and communications jamming,” leading to “at least 13 explosions” on at least 10 boats.
No injuries were reported as a result of the drone attacks, although they resulted in damage to some of the vessels and “widespread obstruction in communications.” The origin of the attack is currently unclear.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry accused the organizers of being linked to Hamas, labeling the “sole purpose” of the mission as “provocation.”
“Israel, Italy, Greece and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem have all offered and continue to offer the flotilla a way to peacefully deliver any aid they might have to Gaza. The flotilla refused because they are not interested in aid, but in provocation,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry wrote in an X post.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez defended the flotilla’s mission on Wednesday, stating, “We must remember it is a humanitarian mission that wouldn’t be taking place if the Israeli government had allowed for the entry of aid.”
“They present no threat nor danger to Israel,” he added.
The interception of the flotilla comes as President Donald Trump unveiled his 20-point peace plan between Israel and Hamas, which could potentially lay the groundwork for an end to the war in Gaza, the release of all the hostages, and a pathway for Palestinian statehood.
However, Hamas is reportedly expected to reject President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, saying that it “serves Israel’s interests” and “ignores those of the Palestinian people.”
The latest flotilla is the second expedition led by Thunberg to get intercepted near the blockade, following a previous attempt in June.
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