Flotilla carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza had departed from Sicily last weekend.
Italy’s foreign ministry has requested information from Israel after Israeli naval forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) in international waters off the coast of Crete in the early hours of Thursday, detaining hundreds of activists including dozens of Italian nationals.
In a statement, the ministry of foreign affairs confirmed it had received reports of Israeli military vessels approaching the flotilla’s boats.
Foreign minister Antonio Tajani has instructed the Crisis Unit, the Italian embassy in Tel Aviv and the Italian embassy in Athens to seek clarification from Israeli and Greek authorities about the nature of the operation and to allow the government to take the necessary steps to protect Italian citizens on board.
“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 GSF said on Thursday.
Second mission
The flotilla had departed from Sicily last Sunday as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla’s 2026 Spring Mission, with the stated aim of breaking Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.
Around 60 vessels joined the mission, carrying around 1,000 activists in total, organisers describing it as the largest pro-Palestinian activist flotilla of its kind.
This was the flotilla’s second mission. A previous attempt last autumn ended when Israeli forces intercepted the vessels in international waters and detained hundreds of activists before deporting them.
Israel has maintained a naval blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2009, and since then a series of maritime attempts to breach it have all been intercepted.
The most significant confrontation occurred in 2010, when Israeli commandos raided the six-ship Gaza Freedom Flotilla, killing ten people and injuring dozens.
Photo credit: Tricani Alessio / Shutterstock.com
