Israel detains last ship of the Global Flotilla Sumud; it was not carrying humanitarian aid

On Friday, the Israeli Army intercepted the last ship of the Global Sumud Flotilla, the vessel Marinette, which was attempting to reach the Gaza Strip. The development comes a day after the Israeli Navy detained most of the 47 ships in the flotilla and arrested some 450 activists, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

The Marinette was intercepted 42.5 nautical miles (79 km) off Gaza and was escorted to the port of Ashdod, in Israel, where the occupants were detained.

The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set sail in late August, sought to challenge the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza, in place since 2007 and reinforced after the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.

The organizers charged that Israeli naval forces "illegally intercepted" their boats, which they claimed were carrying humanitarian aid and volunteers with the aim of breaking Israel's "illegal siege," according to Reuters reviews.

However, an Israeli police report, cited by Joel B. Pollak in a Breitbart article, claims that the flotilla was not carrying "significant humanitarian aid," contradicting the activists' statements.

In addition, members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed through a video, that the so-called "Freedom Flotilla" was not carrying supplies: “There was no humanitarian aid, no medicine, no food, no supplies of any kind.” The boats contained only cameras, activists and "Hamas propaganda leaflets."

Previous warnings

The Israeli Navy had previously warned the flotilla that it was approaching an "active combat zone" and violating an Israeli blockade.

Along those lines, Israel offered to transfer any humanitarian aid to Gaza through safe channels, but the activists rejected these overtures, according to Israel's Foreign Ministry. A similar offer had come from the Italian government, but was also rejected.

In addition, Israeli officials, such as the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, pointed out that there is no humanitarian aid on the vessel and that its occupants are terrorists: "You are supporting murderers, supporting Gaza, supporting terrorists. You are terror supporters. There is no humanitarian aid here.”

Meanwhile, a new flotilla is reportedly being organized to try again to circumvent the blockade, according to reports from Reuters, even though Western governments and some Arab states have urged Hamas to accept a peace plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Deportees

Israel's Foreign Ministry reported Friday that deportations of the detained activists have already begun, starting with four Italian citizens. According to the statement, Israel seeks to complete this process "as soon as possible."

The Adalah legal team, which represents the activists, denounced irregularities in the process. Some activists refused to sign documents forcing them to acknowledge an "illegal" entry into Israel. Adalah noted that the detainees have two options: accept immediate deportation or appear before a judge to define their status. Most, according to a prison source, opted for deportation, according to Argentine media outlet Cadena 3.