Global Sumud Flotilla says Israeli army vessels attacking Gaza aid fleet 2nd time

The Global Sumud Flotilla said Tuesday that Israeli military vessels were continuing to attack and board its humanitarian aid fleet in international waters as the convoy headed toward the Gaza Strip.

“Interception continues. IOF (Israeli army) military vessels are currently illegally boarding our fleet,” the flotilla said in a statement. “We are on high alert as we continue towards Gaza. We refuse to be intimidated.”

Organizers also said 10 humanitarian boats had “escaped 22 hours of Israeli attacks in international waters” and were sailing toward Gaza.

“The boats are currently just 121 nautical miles from Gaza’s shores,” the statement read.

Earlier Tuesday, Israeli news website Walla, citing an unnamed security source, reported that the Israeli army had seized more than 40 of the 54 vessels participating in the voyage and detained around 300 activists.

The developments marked the second Israeli attack on the flotilla in more than 24 hours after the Israeli army launched attacks Monday against the aid convoy in international waters.

The flotilla, comprising 54 boats, sailed Thursday from the Turkish district of Marmaris in a new attempt to break the illegal Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza since 2007.

This was not the first such incident involving the flotilla.

In late April, the Israeli army attacked flotilla boats in international waters off the Greek island of Crete. The convoy at the time included 345 participants from 39 countries, including Turkish citizens.

Israeli forces then seized 21 boats carrying around 175 activists, while the remaining vessels continued toward Greek territorial waters.

Israeli forces later released the activists in international waters except for two, a Spanish and a Brazilian activist, who were taken to detention centers inside Israel before later being deported.

Around 2.4 million Palestinians, including approximately 1.5 million displaced people, are living under catastrophic humanitarian conditions in Gaza, worsened by a two-year Israeli genocide that has killed more than 72,700 people and wounded over 172,700, most of them women and children, while triggering severe famine conditions.

Despite a ceasefire announced in October 2025, Israel has continued restricting humanitarian aid access and carrying out daily strikes, resulting in the deaths of 877 Palestinians and injuries to 2,602 others, according to local authorities.