Israeli military forces early on Thursday, April 30, intercepted vessels travelling with the Global Sumud Flotilla in the central Mediterranean, according to organisers.
The convoy, described as the largest civilian-led maritime mission to date, departed from Barcelona on April 12 to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and challenge Israel’s naval blockade.
Footage circulating social media appears to show a warning broadcast identifying the Israeli navy and instructing those on board to comply, with a caution that force could be used.
In a statement, Organisers said the vessels were approached by military speedboats identifying themselves as Israeli forces, with passengers ordered to move to the front of the boats. They also reported the use of drones and communications jamming, adding that an SOS signal was issued during the encounter.
Contact was lost with several vessels during the operation, while Israeli media claims suggested that a number of boats had been intercepted.
Tracking data indicates that 57 vessels were part of the convoy, with at least fifteen appearing to have been intercepted or disrupted. The boats identified include Al Faluja, Ayn al-Zaytoun, Beit Lahim, Jabalia, Kafr Birim, Safsaf, Yazur, Tantura, Yaffa, Haifa, Idna, Iqrit, Safad, Al Bassa and Nasir al-Din.
Last recorded positions show these vessels were still between roughly 630 and 660 nautical miles from Gaza, indicating the incident occurred far from the enclave.
Another vessel, Balad al-Sheik (Girolama), was recorded as the fastest among the remaining boats, travelling eastward at around 8.3 knots and located approximately 615.7 nautical miles from Gaza at its latest update.
Data places the flotilla in waters west of the Greek island of Crete during the incident.
The development follows a similar operation in October last year, when Israeli forces intercepted around 40 vessels linked to a Gaza-bound flotilla and detained hundreds of activists before deporting them.
