When Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg boarded the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), she joined hundreds of parliamentarians, lawyers, and campaigners in what organisers described as a “non-violent humanitarian cause.” Their aim was to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza and deliver food, water, and medicine directly to civilians.
Instead, the voyage ended in a confrontation at sea that has triggered protests, diplomatic spats, and renewed scrutiny of Israel’s long-standing restrictions on the enclave.
What the flotilla set out to do
The GSF began its journey from Barcelona on August 31, 2025. More than 40 boats carrying around 500 participants sailed across the Mediterranean, picking up ships from Spain, Italy, and Turkey along the way. Organisers framed the mission as a symbolic challenge to Israel’s blockade, in place since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007.
The mission was presented as humanitarian, but also political. Supporters argued it was necessary to highlight the worsening conditions inside Gaza and the limits Israel places on aid. They said only direct delivery to civilians would be meaningful.
How Israel stopped the flotilla
On Wednesday evening, Israeli naval forces intercepted the first vessels around 70 nautical miles from Gaza. Footage released by the Israeli Foreign Ministry showed Thunberg surrounded by armed soldiers on a deck. In a statement, Israel said: “Several vessels of the Hamas-Sumud flotilla have been safely stopped and their passengers are being transferred to an Israeli port. Greta and her friends are safe and healthy.”
Organisers accused Israel of using force. The flotilla’s spokesperson claimed one ship was “deliberately rammed” while others were “targeted with water cannons.” Video shared by activists appeared to show the vessel Yulara being sprayed. No injuries were reported, but communications were cut off during the raid.
By Thursday morning, at least 13 boats had been diverted, though organisers insisted that 30 others were still pressing ahead. “The flotilla will continue undeterred,” they said in a Telegram message.
Israel’s justification
Israel maintains the flotilla ignored repeated warnings and attempted to breach what it calls a lawful blockade during wartime. Its navy had warned the convoy it was entering an “active combat zone” and offered Ashkelon as an alternative port for aid deliveries.
Israeli officials dismissed the mission as political theatre. Ambassador Jonathan Peled wrote that “this systematic refusal (to hand over the aid) demonstrates that the objective is not humanitarian, but provocative.” Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon echoed that view, calling the flotilla a “PR stunt” and warning that anyone who “tried to enter Israeli territory illegally” would be deported after the Yom Kippur holiday.
Allegations of Hamas ties
The Israeli Foreign Ministry also linked the flotilla to Hamas. It said documents found in Gaza showed connections between flotilla organisers and Hamas’s overseas arm, the Palestinian Conference for Palestinians (PCPA). One document reportedly included a letter from Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh endorsing the group.
Israel describes the PCPA as a front operating as Hamas’s embassies abroad, mobilising protests and missions under civilian cover. The group was officially designated a terrorist organisation by Israel in 2021. Flotilla organisers have rejected these claims, calling them propaganda.
Global response and protests
The raid sparked anger across several countries. Turkey called it “an act of terror” and saw protests erupt in Istanbul. Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro went further, expelling Israel’s diplomatic mission and suspending a free trade deal. “The free trade agreement with Israel is denounced immediately. The entire Israeli diplomatic delegation in Colombia is leaving,” he wrote.
Malaysia confirmed that eight of its nationals were detained. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim accused Israel of showing “utter contempt not only for the rights of the Palestinian people but also for the conscience of the world.”
France and Italy struck a more cautious tone. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot urged Israel to safeguard detainees, while Italy’s Antonio Tajani stressed that “the matter should end without damage.”
Meanwhile, protests broke out in Italy, Greece, Tunisia, Argentina, and Turkey. Italian unions declared a general strike in solidarity with Gaza, while demonstrators filled streets in Rome, Pisa, Florence, and Turin.
What happens next
This was not Thunberg’s first detention by Israel. She had been part of a smaller Gaza-bound boat intercepted earlier this year and was deported. Israeli officials signalled that participants in the latest flotilla would likely be deported after Yom Kippur.
Thirty boats were still attempting to reach Gaza as of Thursday, with Spain, Italy, and Turkey said to have deployed naval assets to monitor developments. Organisers appealed for governments and international institutions to ensure the activists’ “immediate safety and release.”
The incident underscores the wider conflict. Nearly two years into Israel’s military campaign following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, Gaza has been devastated. Health authorities there report more than 65,000 people killed. The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification has warned of famine, calling the crisis “man-made.”
Israel insists Hamas exploits humanitarian cover to smuggle weapons. Activists argue aid delivery via Israel is inadequate and politicised. For Greta Thunberg and others aboard the flotilla, the risk of confrontation was part of the point: to test Israel’s blockade and force the world to take notice.
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