Israeli forces have stopped 14 boats carrying foreign activists and aid bound for Gaza.
Flotilla organisers disclosed this on Thursday, October 2, 2025, adding that 23 boats are continuing to sail towards the war-ravaged Palestinian enclave.
A video from the Israeli foreign ministry showed the most prominent of the flotilla’s passengers, Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers.
The Israeli foreign ministry said on X: “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.”
The Global Sumud Flotilla is transporting medicine and food to Gaza and consists of more than 40 civilian boats with about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers, and activists.
It has posted several videos on Telegram with messages from individuals aboard the boats, some holding their passports and claiming they had been abducted and taken to Israel against their will, while reiterating that their mission was a non-violent humanitarian cause.
‘Accept deal or face severe consequences’: Trump gives Hamas 4-day ultimatum on Gaza war
The flotilla is the highest-profile symbol of opposition to Israel’s blockade of Gaza.
Israel’s progress across the Mediterranean Sea garnered international attention as nations, including Turkey, Spain, and Italy sent boats or drones in case their nationals required assistance, even as it triggered repeated warnings from Israel to turn back.
Turkey’s foreign ministry called Israel’s “attack” on the flotilla “an act of terror” that endangered the lives of innocent civilians.
The Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said it had launched an investigation into the detention of 24 Turkish citizens on board vessels in the flotilla on charges including deprivation of liberty, seizure of transport vehicles and damage to property, Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the expulsion of Israel’s entire diplomatic delegation on Wednesday following the detention of two Colombians in the flotilla. Israel has not had an ambassador in Colombia since last year.
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