Navy begins intercepting Gaza flotilla hundreds of miles from the Strip

Tracking data shows vessels near Crete as they are confronted by Israeli forces while attempting to breach naval blockade on Hamas-run Gaza

The Israeli Navy late Wednesday began intercepting the activist flotilla sailing to the Gaza Strip in a bid to breach Israel’s naval blockade on the Hamas-ruled enclave, according to the activists and security sources.

According to tracking data, the Global Sumud Flotilla — which includes 58 vessels — was located near the Greek Island of Crete, hundreds of nautical miles from Israel, when confronted by Israeli forces.

During past attempts to challenge the naval blockade, the Navy has intercepted the boats much closer to Gaza’s shores, which the flotilla was expected to reach over the weekend.

In footage published by flotilla organizers, an Israeli Navy officer could be heard calling on the activists to change course.

“If you wish to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, you may do so through established and recognized channels. Please change course and return to the port of origin. If you are carrying humanitarian aid, you are invited to proceed to the port of Ashdod,” the officer said.

The Foreign Ministry meanwhile released a video it said showed “condoms and drugs” were found aboard one of the intercepted vessels.

The activists aboard the flotilla departed from Spain earlier this month, after organizing a similar operation last year with Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and hundreds more participants that was carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid.

Israeli officials repeatedly denounced that flotilla and previous smaller-scale attempts to reach Gaza by sea as publicity stunts, saying they brought insignificant amounts of aid, which Israel insists sufficient amounts of are entering the Strip, though humanitarian organizations have said it is not enough.

Earlier Wednesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced he was imposing sanctions on a crowdfunding campaign launched by Global Sumud Flotilla, which he said was “organized by the Hamas terror organization, in cooperation with additional international organizations and under the guise of a humanitarian aid flotilla.”

“The imposition of sanctions on the crowdfunding campaign constitutes a significant step in the effort to disrupt the flotilla’s sources of funding,” said a statement from Katz, adding that the move was “intended to deter donors from contributing to a terror organization.”

It was unclear what practical effect the sanctions would have. The statement noted that according to Israeli law, the defense minister can order the seizure of property of a designated terror organization or property intended to be used for terrorism.

Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since the Hamas terror group seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007 in a violent coup.

Israel said it was necessary to limit Hamas’s ability to smuggle in arms, a stance it has reiterated since the October 7, 2023, attack that started the Gaza war. Critics of the blockade said it amounts to collective punishment of the Strip’s roughly 2 million Palestinians.

Agencies and Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.