Israel stops Gaza flotilla near Crete, arrests 175 activists

2026-04-30 15:36:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Pro-Palestinian activists say at least 22 ships from a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza have been stopped by Israeli forces in international waters near the Greek island of Crete.

Organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) denounced the action as "piracy," saying the people on board had been illegally captured more than 965 km (600 miles) from Gaza, which is under an Israeli naval blockade.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said about 175 activists from more than 20 ships had been detained and were being transported to Israel. It called the flotilla a "PR stunt."

GSF tracking data showed that most of the 36 remaining ships in the flotilla were near the southern coast of Crete.

The flotilla launched two weeks ago, with a total of 58 ships from Spain, France and Italy, aiming to break Israel's blockade of Gaza.

On Thursday, the GSF said Israeli naval forces had “captured, boarded and systematically disabled and destroyed various vessels” in the fleet during a “violent raid in international waters” west of Crete overnight.

"Over 180 civilians from around the world have been directly attacked," she added.

"After stopping the participants, destroying an engine, and jamming communications, [Israeli forces] withdrew, abducting the participants or deliberately leaving civilians stranded in the powerless and broken-down boats, directly in the path of a massive approaching storm."

Israel insists its actions are in accordance with international law.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that "due to the large number of ships participating in the flotilla and the risk of escalation, as well as the need to prevent the violation of a lawful blockade, early action was necessary."

"The operation was carried out in international waters peacefully and without casualties. An initial inspection of the ships revealed materials that appear to be drugs and contraceptives," she added.

The ministry also accused the flotilla's organizers of "colluding" with the Palestinian armed group Hamas "with the aim of sabotaging the passage of President Trump's peace plan [on Gaza] into its second phase and in order to divert attention from Hamas's refusal to disarm."

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the seizure and called on Israel to immediately release “all illegally detained Italians.” Italian media reported that 24 Italians had been detained.

Meloni also called for "full respect for international law and guarantees for the physical safety of the people on board."

European Union foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni told reporters: “We reiterate our call on the Israeli authorities to respect international law, including international humanitarian law and international maritime law.”

Greece has not commented publicly on the incident, but center-left opposition politician Dimitris Mantzos called on the government to say what it knows and explain how it will respond to "this illegal act."
Tariq Ra'ouf, a Palestinian-American writer and activist, told BBC News Arabic that he was on one of the flotilla's support ships in Greek waters.

"The mentality on board is high, we are determined to continue to do our utmost to support an end to Israel's illegal siege of Gaza," he said.

"I feel shocked and disappointed by the impunity of Israel's actions and how they have managed to violate international law repeatedly, but especially so far from Gaza."

Israel prevented the previous flotilla set up by the GSF from reaching Gaza last October, arresting and then deporting more than 470 people on board, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.

According to the GSF, the objectives of the latest flotilla are to “challenge Israel’s illegal blockade, advance the opening of a permanent humanitarian corridor, and intensify coordinated international pressure on governments and corporate collaborators in its implementation.”

Cogat, the Israeli defense body that controls Gaza's land crossings, said Israel was facilitating the entry of aid into Gaza and that there was "no restriction on the amount of aid that can enter."

Earlier this week, a senior UN official warned that the situation in Gaza was steadily deteriorating, with the territory's population of 2.1 million "facing continuous and deadly Israeli attacks and appalling humanitarian conditions."

"While some improvements in access and delivery of aid have been observed in recent weeks, unpredictable access, limited operational crossings and restrictions on critical humanitarian items called 'dual use' by Israel continue to constrain the UN response," UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari told the Security Council./ CNA, translated by BBC