- Unknown reconnaissance drones flying at medium altitude over sailing area of Sumud Flotilla in Mediterranean waters, says on-board journalist

ISTANBUL

The Global Sumud Flotilla that is sailing to challenge Israel’s blockade of Gaza announced early Wednesday that its vessels are now around 121 nautical miles (225 kilometers) from the besieged enclave.

“Unidentified vessels approached a number of boats in the Flotilla, some with their lights off,” the flotilla said in a statement on Telegram.

“Participants applied security protocols in preparation for an interception. The vessels have now left the Flotilla,” it added.

“We continue to sail to Gaza approaching the 120 nautical mile mark, near the area where previous flotillas have been intercepted and/or attacked.”

“The number of drones over our ships has doubled, and jamming of the internet and radio is greater than usual. We are all prepared for the moment of interception, whether tonight or tomorrow,” Wael Naouar, a spokesperson for the flotilla’s Maghreb fleet, said on the US social media company Facebook’s platform earlier.

Unknown reconnaissance drones are also flying at medium altitude over the sailing area of the Sumud Flotilla in Mediterranean waters, an Al Jazeera correspondent on board the flotilla reported.

An Israeli Navy ship has been detected 80 kilometers (50 miles) near the Global Sumud Flotilla, Turkish activist Muhammed Salih said from the sailing boat Adagio earlier.

“We were already expecting an Israeli interception or attack this evening or tomorrow night. Most likely, it will happen tonight. We are on high alert. Everyone has put on their life jackets and is waiting ready on deck,” Salih said in a video on Instagram.

The flotilla’s organizers issued a critical warning, urging international attention, saying: “Our safety depends on the world watching.”

They stressed that workers and activists worldwide are preparing mass mobilizations in solidarity and demanded safe passage for the flotilla.

“An attack on the flotilla is an attack on Palestine,” the statement declared, calling on global supporters to spread the message, join in collective action and stand against the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The flotilla, carrying humanitarian supplies and international activists, is part of efforts to break Israel’s years-long blockade, which has sharply worsened living conditions in Gaza.

On Tuesday, Israel’s official broadcaster KAN reported that the flotilla had entered Israel’s interception zone, with the Israeli Navy preparing to seize the ships.​​​​​​​

Israeli authorities plan to transfer the flotilla activists to a large warship and tow the vessels to the port of Ashdod, with the possibility that some may sink, KAN reported.

Israel has ruled out allowing the flotilla to reach Gaza, according to political directives.

Earlier, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza said on the US social media company X’s platform that “the ship ‘Al-Dhamir’ (The Conscience), designated for international doctors and journalists, is setting sail towards Gaza from the port of Otranto in Italy.”

The flotilla, loaded mainly with humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail at the end of August and the beginning of September in a bid to break the Israeli blockade.

This marks the first time in years that dozens of ships have sailed together toward Gaza, which is home to around 2.4 million Palestinians and has been under an Israeli blockade for roughly 18 years.

Israel tightened the siege further on March 2 by closing all border crossings and blocking food, medicine and aid, pushing Gaza into famine despite aid trucks piling up at its borders.

The Israeli army has killed over 66,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October 2023. The relentless bombardment has rendered the enclave uninhabitable and led to starvation and the spread of diseases.