Gaza flotilla organisers say surrounded by Israeli 'military boats'

Athens: The organisers of a flotilla carrying pro-Palestinian activists aiming to break through an Israeli blockade in Gaza said Thursday their boats were surrounded by Israeli “military boats”.

The flotilla, made up of more than 50 boats, set sail in recent weeks from Marseille in France, Barcelona in Spain and Syracuse in Italy.

In a post to X overnight, the Global Sumud Flotilla said that Israeli military boats had “illegally surrounded the flotilla in international waters and threatened kidnapping and violence”.

“Communications with 11 vessels have been lost,” the organisation added.

The flotilla is currently off the coast of Greece, near Crete, according to the organisation’s live tracking on its website.

“Our boats were approached by military speedboats, self-identified as ‘israel’, pointing lasers and semi-automatic assault weapons ordering participants to the front of the boats and to get on their hands and knees,” the organisation added.

“Boat communications are being jammed and a SOS was issued.”

In late 2025, an initial flotilla of about 50 boats, composed of political figures and activists such as Sweden’s Greta Thunberg, was boarded by the Israeli navy — illegally according to the organisers and Amnesty International.

The crew members were arrested and expelled by Israel.

The Gaza Strip, governed by Hamas, has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement accuse each other of violating a ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, 2025, after two years of war.