Aid flotilla boats 'illegally intercepted' off Gaza's coast, Israeli army surround activists

The group of around 40 vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla faced Israeli vessels off Gaza's coast, which urged them to change the route. The first vessels left Barcelona in late August, and on October 1, these were "illegally intercepted" by the Israeli army. 

Around 8:00 pm on Wednesday, the group of boats said that the Israeli army had surrounded them and that at least three ships had been intercepted. "Cameras are offline and several vessels have been boarded by military personnel," a text read on social media.

Earlier in the night, a video showed a conversation over the boats' radios that said that "This is an active war zone."

In the event of "an attempt to breach the naval blockade, we will stop your vessel and actively confiscate it for legal proceedings in court. You bear full responsibility for your actions," the radio audio message continued.

On social media, the Israeli foreign affairs ministry wrote that the "flotilla refused a way to peacefully deliver any aid they might have to Gaza."

The text reads that the group of vessels is "not interested in aid, but in provocation. 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.

The flotilla entered the risk zone earlier on Wednesday morning, and hours after their radars tracked over 20 "unidentified vessels approximately 3 nautical miles ahead of the fleet."

"We do not yet have confirmation of their identity, but this situation raises concerns of a potential naval blockade," the text said before details were announced.

The group had planned to reach Gaza on Thursday morning, around 10 am (local time). During the day, they surpassed the threshold where Madleen, another vessel trying to reach Gaza in June, was stopped by Israeli forces.

During a press conference on Wednesday morning, spokesperson Saif Abukeshek said that the next night will be "critical" as Israel tends to intervene at night. However, he said, once they enter "danger area" they await an appearance of Israeli forces at "any time."

If the flotilla suffers an attack, organizers have reported that they have all legal measures "ready." Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, said that any interception would be "illegal," as they are accessing Palestinian waters, not Israeli.

She believes that Israel does "not have any authority" on Palestinian waters, so "not a single Israeli interception would be legal."

'Not too late'

Earlier on Wednesday, Israel foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar urged the flotilla to put an end to their attempt to reach Gaza following calls from Spain, Italy and Greece.

"It is not too late," he wrote on a message on social media X on Wednesday. "From all over, there are calls for this Hamas-Sumud provocation to stop," he added.

"Please transfer any aid you might have peacefully through the Port of Cyprus, the Ashkelon Marina, or any other port in the region into Gaza," the text read.

According to the public broadcaster Kan, the elite naval unit of Shayetet 13 was getting ready to intercept the 40 vessels.

'Not any risk for Israel'

Earlier in the day, Spanish PM, Pedro Sánchez, reminded that the Global Sumud Flotilla has around 1,000 passengers on board and that this is "a humanitarian mission that would have not happened if Israel had let the UNRWA agency access Palestine and deliver humanitarian aid through the UN."

During a media attention in Copenhagen, coinciding with an EU Council meeting, Sánchez said that the flotilla does "not represent any risk nor threat for Israel." Which is why, he hopes, "Israel, and Netanyahu's government, does not represent a risk for the flotilla."

He said that, since it left Barcelona shores in late August, Spain has been in "permanent contact" with the flotilla, as well as other countries with several nationals on route. Spain, has even sent a rescue ship for support: 'Furor.'

Not to enter

Despite Sánchez's words, on Wednesday morning, the Spanish executive once again asked members of the flotilla not to enter the maritime exclusion zone marked by Israel. It has also pointed out that the Navy ship sent to provide support will not enter these waters.

Spanish minister Óscar López said that "we've gone as far as we can," and explained the government won't send their ship beyond the exclusion zone because “the absolute priority is its safety and that of all the people who are part of it.”

The "top priority" is the safety of the people in the flotilla, "and that is why we recommend that they do not cross this line,” López said.

In a statement, the flotilla regrets that the Spanish government is asking them to abandon the mission and is refusing to offer them the necessary protection to reach Gaza.

"Accepting the threat of assault as normal means endorsing Israel's impunity and silencing those denouncing genocide," they state.

Speaking to Catalunya Ràdio, the former mayor of Barcelona, ​​Ada Colau, who is sailing to Gaza as part of the flotilla, reported that some Israeli army ships and an Israeli navy submarine approached the flotilla during the early hours of the morning and warned that "critical hours are coming."

The flotilla denounces that the Israeli navy has announced a 120 nautical mile exclusion zone, as this is where other previous flotillas have been intercepted or attacked.

Colau regretted that the Spanish government refused to accompany them with official ships to open a humanitarian corridor to Gaza, which is "urgent and a mandate of international law," when there are "tons of food" on the other side of the border with Egypt.

This comes after the executive had informed the flotilla that their maritime rescue ship was within an operational radius to carry out rescue operations if necessary, but that this ship would not be able to enter the exclusion zone so as not to put the integrity of the crew and of the flotilla at risk.

Earlier visits from Israeli army

"Once you pass what they consider their 150-mile border from the Gaza coast, they have made two visits," Colau told Catalunya Ràdio.

The first was at 4 am, when Israeli army ships approached and the alarm caused the members of the flotilla to come out on deck with their hands up and their life jackets on.

However, the ships did not come any closer and ended up leaving. Later, a "large submarine" from the Israeli navy appeared and also soon left the vicinity.

"We do not know if they simply want to stress us out, if they want to wait for sunlight to make it less dangerous to board us... We know that they have declared that they have every intention of boarding and detaining us," she said in the early hours of Wednesday.

"Sabotage" from Italy

On Tuesday evening, the Global Sumud Flotilla denounced a "sabotage" of the mission by Italy.

In a statement, they said the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave them "the opportunity" to abandon their ships and return to land before reaching the so-called "critical zone".

"This is not protection. It is sabotage. It is an attempt to demoralize and fracture a peaceful humanitarian mission that governments have not taken on themselves," the activists said.