Israeli forces intercept 6 more activist flotilla vessels headed for Gaza

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli forces on Tuesday intercepted six remaining vessels from a much larger activist flotilla attempting to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. Two other boats are still on their way to the Palestinian territory, according to the activist group's livestream.

A live feed on the Global Sumud Flotilla website showed armed Israeli soldiers on Zodiac boats boarding the Andros, Zefiro, Don Juan, Alcyone and Elengi vessels as activists donning life vests held their arms up. Israeli soldiers then destroyed cameras mounted on the activists’ boats.

This is the group’s latest effort to underscore the grim living conditions of nearly 2 million Palestinians in the coastal territory, suffering from severe shortages of housing, food, and medicine.

The flotilla boats were stopped around 90-100 miles (145-160 kilometers) from the Gaza coastline, according to the flotilla’s website tracker.

The vessels departed last week from the port of Marmaris, Turkey, in what flotilla organizers described as the final leg of their planned journey to Gaza’s shores.

Detained activists ‘being forcibly transported,’ group says

On Monday, the Israeli navy stopped some 41 boats from the activist flotilla in international waters off Cyprus, detaining those on board.

The Global Sumud Flotilla said Tuesday that hundreds of detained activists from over 40 nations were “being forcibly transported” by an Israeli naval ship to an unnamed port, due to arrive at its destination shortly.

More than a dozen Irish nationals were aboard the Global Sumud Flotilla, including the sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly. Ireland's Prime Minister Micheál Martin on Monday called Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound boats in international waters “absolutely unacceptable.”

The Flotilla said it demanded the “immediate, unconditional release of all our participants, alongside the more than 9,000 unjustly detained Palestinian political prisoners” and urged world leaders to press for the same.

The activist group also warned of “grave and immediate concerns” about the physical safety of all those detained following testimonies from other activists detained during an Apr. 30 interdiction. At the time, the activists detailed “patterns of torture, severe physical abuse, and invasive sexual violence” by Israeli forces, allegations Israel denies.

Several nations have condemned the interdictions, with Turkey and Hamas calling them an act of “piracy.” Italy, Spain and Indonesia called on Israel to release all the detained activists and to ensure their safety and well-being. An estimated 45 Spanish nationals took part in the flotilla.

Israel has called the flotilla “a provocation for the sake of provocation” with no real intent to deliver any aid to Gaza. The boats carry a symbolic amount of aid.

The Israeli defense body overseeing humanitarian aid to Gaza claims that sufficient aid is entering the territory, with around 600 trucks delivering assistance daily, similar to prewar levels.

According to a World Food Program report, the number of humanitarian and commercial trucks entering the Gaza Strip declined sharply in March compared with previous months following the Iran war. A daily average of only 112 trucks entered in March, compared to 230 in February and 225 in January.

Activist determined to carry on, says no more ‘disregarding international law’

Italian activist Daniele Gallina was with six others aboard a sailboat that diverted to a harbor in the Cypriot town of Paphos because of technical issues. He said he and his fellow activists see their mission as an attempt to open Gaza up to the world.

“What matters is not only the aid itself, important as it is, but the structural change it represents. It is also about challenging the collaboration of our own governments with these policies,” Gallina told The Associated Press in an online interview from Paphos.

Gallina said such interdictions of civilian vessels in international waters have driven people to understand how “governments are tolerating or enabling these actions.”

Even though the Flotilla’s mission was “entirely pacifist,” the Israeli military’s actions have demonstrated how international law is now “openly disregarded.”

“Acts of piracy and violations of international maritime law should never be acceptable, especially against peaceful civilian missions carrying no weapons,” Gallina said.

“We know we are doing the right thing. We are not heroes. We are ordinary people carrying out a protest mission, just as others protest in the streets,” he said, adding that he and his fellow activists remained determined to continue their protests “until Gaza is reached.”

A nearly two-decade blockade

Israel has maintained a sea blockade of Gaza since the Palestinian militant group Hamas took control of the territory in 2007. Israeli authorities intensified it in the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks on Israel, which killed around 1,200 people and saw more than 250 taken hostage.

Critics say the blockade amounts to collective punishment.