Israeli Navy Seizes Hamas-Linked Gaza Flotilla, Detains Activists Including Greta Thunberg

The Israeli Navy began intercepting the Global Sumud Flotilla on Wednesday evening, after activists aboard the ships announced they were attempting to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza.

Videos shared on social media showed an Israeli naval vessel pulling up near one of the flotilla boats. According to Al Jazeera, IDF forces have started arresting individuals taking part in the operation.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry later released footage confirming that environmental activist Greta Thunberg was among those detained. Thunberg, who had already been deported from Israel in June after joining a previous flotilla called the Madleen, was again part of the group.

“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 ministry said.

Officials reported that the flotilla takeover has so far unfolded without unusual incidents. Given the scale of the flotilla, around 50 vessels, the operation lasted into the night.

Before boarding, the Israeli Navy issued a last warning to the activists.

“This is the Israeli Navy. You are approaching a blockaded zone,” a naval lieutenant told them over the radio, in a video later released by the Foreign Ministry.

“If you wish to deliver aid to Gaza, you may do so through the established channels. Please change your course toward the port of Ashdod, where the aid will undergo a security inspection and then be transferred into the Gaza Strip,” the officer added.

The Foreign Ministry stressed that the flotilla’s objective was not humanitarian but political. “The sole purpose of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla is 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.”

The ministry further explained: “The Israeli Navy has reached out to the Hamas-Sumud flotilla and asked them to change course. Israel has informed the flotilla that it is approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful naval blockade. Israel reiterated the offer to transfer any aid peacefully through safe channels to Gaza.”

Earlier Wednesday, Greece and Italy released a joint statement urging the flotilla to accept the Latin Patriarchate’s proposal to safely deliver humanitarian supplies.

“Greece and Italy are closely monitoring developments in the Global Sumud Flotilla and call on the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety and security of the participants and to allow for all consular protection measures,” the statement read.

The two foreign ministers also appealed directly to the activists, urging them “to accept the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem’s offer to safely deliver aid intended in solidarity with the children, women, and men of Gaza.”

As the flotilla neared Gaza, Global Sumud announced on Telegram that drone activity around them had sharply increased.

“We have now entered the high-risk zone, the area where previous flotillas have been attacked and/or intercepted,” their message stated.

Israel had already issued multiple warnings last week. The Foreign Ministry called the convoy the “Hamas Flotilla” and declared that no breach of the naval blockade would be tolerated.

“This flotilla, organized by Hamas, is intended to serve Hamas. Israel will not allow vessels to enter an active combat zone and will not allow the breach of a lawful naval blockade,” the ministry emphasized.

“If the flotilla participants’ genuine wish is to deliver humanitarian aid rather than serve Hamas, Israel calls on the vessels to dock at the Ashkelon Marina and unload the aid there, from where it will be transferred promptly in a coordinated manner to the Gaza Strip,” it said.

“Israel urges the participants not to break the law and to accept Israel’s proposal for a peaceful transfer of any aid they might have,” the statement concluded.

On Tuesday, newly released Hamas documents revealed that the terror group was directly financing and coordinating the Sumud flotilla. The documents showed close ties between the flotilla leadership and Hamas’s international operations body, the PCPA.

Greta Thunberg’s involvement has drawn particular attention, as this marks her second interception by the Israeli Navy since June.