No humanitarian aid found on Global Sumud Flotilla vessels

The Israeli military intercepted the last boat in an aid flotilla attempting to reach blockaded Gaza on Friday, a day after stopping most of the vessels and detaining some 450 activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg.

The organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said the Marinette was intercepted some 42.5 nautical miles (79 km) from Gaza. Israeli army radio said the navy had taken control of the last ship in the flotilla, detained those aboard and that the vessel was being led to Ashdod port in Israel.

In a statement, the Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli naval forces had now "illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels—each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza".

MARINETTE PASSENGERS CLAIM TO SEE A WAR SHIP

A camera broadcasting from the Marinette showed someone holding up a note saying "We see a ship! It's a war ship", before a boat is seen approaching and soldiers boarding. A voice is heard telling the people on board not to move and to put their hands in the air.

An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the boat's status. The ministry said on Thursday the flotilla's one remaining vessel would be prevented from breaching the blockade if it tried to.

The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge Israel's naval blockade of the enclave, almost two years into Israel's siege of Gaza which was sparked by militant group Hamas' October 7 attacks.

Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt. The foreign ministry had said the flotilla was previously warned that it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a "lawful naval blockade", and asked organisers to change course. It had offered to transfer aid to Gaza.

The Israeli foreign ministry on Friday said that four Italians had been deported. "The rest are in the process of being deported. Israel is keen to end this procedure as quickly as possible," it said in a statement. All the flotilla participants were "safe and in good health", it added.

Cyprus said one of the flotilla boats had docked in Cyprus with 21 foreigners aboard. The vessel had asked to dock in Larnaca for refuelling and humanitarian reasons, a Cypriot government spokesperson said. 

The spokesperson did not identify the boat, or say whether it had been among those stopped by the Israeli military.

None of the 40 vessels participating in the Global Sumud Flotilla was carrying humanitarian aid, according to the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The ministry also released a video by the Israeli Police featuring spokesperson Dean Elsdunne showing the empty interior of one of the flotilla’s largest vessels.

The spokesperson points out that the complete lack of aid explains why the organizers refused Israel’s and multiple countries’ offers to hand over the aid and avoid entering an active war zone and breaking the law.