Gaza Sumud flotilla updates: Israel intercepts boats, detains activists

The Greek government plans to lodge a formal diplomatic protest with the Israeli ambassador to Greece after Ben-Gvir’s remarks about flotilla activists, Greek local media is reporting.

As we’ve been reporting, Israel’s National Security Minister Ben-Gvir called Global Sumud Flotilla activists “terrorists” when he entered a detention centre yesterday.

News site To Vima, citing the Greek-language site In, said the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs may summon the Israeli ambassador, and that Greek authorities are “additionally considering dispatching a military transport plane to Israel to repatriate Greek citizens who were among the flotilla participants”.

Word of the potential diplomatic action came on the heels of a joint statement from four Greek opposition parties against Israel’s handling of the flotilla, To Vima added.

The Greek Foreign Ministry has previously said that 27 of its nationals were participating in the flotilla.

Adalah, a Palestinian legal centre in Israel, says members of the Global Sumud Flotilla were initially denied access to lawyers for hours after their vessels were seized by Israeli authorities.

“Despite repeated denials of entry by Israeli police, Adalah lawyers eventually managed to access the port [of Ashdod] and provide consultations to the 331 participants,” the group said in a statement shared on WhatsApp.

“Several participants reported being subjected to aggression, threats, and harassment, including being woken violently whenever they tried to sleep.”

Adalah said Israel transferred the detainees to Ktzi’ot Prison in Israel’s southern Negev region without alerting their lawyers. The group said the activists are in “relatively stable condition” as its lawyers attend hearings to review their detention orders.

“Adalah is pursuing legal measures to guarantee that every single participant is accounted for, while continuing prison visits,” it said. “Adalah also calls for their immediate release from unlawful detention, and the retrieval of their personal belongings and humanitarian aid supplies.”

The Global Sumud Flotilla has rejected as “obscene” the Israeli government’s false claims that the Gaza-bound vessels were not carrying aid to Palestinians in the starved enclave.

“The boats were meticulously documented, loaded with medical supplies, food, and other life-saving goods for people in Gaza being systematically starved by Israel,” the group said in a statement.

It added that “Israel’s disinformation is not new”.

“This is the same regime that claimed it was not bombing hospitals, not starving Palestinians, not obstructing convoys, not executing civilians and aid workers, not burying 15 paramedics and their ambulances in a shallow grave. Every one of those lies has been exposed,” the flotilla organisers said.

The Italian government has identified the four flotilla participants who have so far been deported by Israel as Italian parliamentarians.

“The four parliamentarians, with whom I spoke with this morning, are leaving Ben Gurion Airport,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said earlier today. “They are accompanied by a diplomat from our embassy in Tel Aviv.”

The four parliamentarians are Senator Marco Croatti, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Annalisa Corrado, MEP Arturo Scotto, and MEP Benedetta Scuderi.

As we have reported earlier, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Ben-Gvir yesterday entered a detention centre, where hundreds of activists captured on board the Global Sumud Flotilla were held, before calling them “terrorists”.

He also said deporting activists from the flotilla would be a mistake, arguing they should instead be jailed for several months.

Now, Hamas said in a statement on Telegram that Ben-Gvir’s storming of the detention facility, and his attempt to threaten and humiliate the activists there reflect “the extent of the arrogance, and moral and political decadence” Israel’s leaders have reached.

“This calls for global and international condemnation of him and his fascist army’s behaviour against our defenceless people, and for pressure on the entity to release them immediately,” the group said.

Hamas also expressed “pride and admiration for the heroic stance demonstrated by the activists”.

Israel has intercepted and captured all 44 of the vessels of the Gaza Sumud Flotilla, an aid campaign aiming to break the naval blockade of the Palestinian territory devastated by Israel’s war and starvation.

But one – the only one – of the flotilla’s boats did manage to reach Gaza’s waters, according to a tracker maintained by the organisers: The Mikeno.

According to the tracker, the Mikeno reached well within the 12 nautical miles (equivalent to 22km) off Gaza’s coast that constitute the maritime territory of a nation. Gaza, of course, has been under an Israeli blockade for 18 years, and Israeli ships control the region’s waters – illegally.

The Mikeno was intercepted on Thursday, October 2, at 11:21am (8:21 GMT), when Israeli troops attacked it with a water cannon, video shared by activists on board suggests.

The boat had previously lost its signal, raising concerns about its whereabouts, before it returned on the tracker, within Gaza’s territorial waters.

Just before Israeli soldiers boarded the Marinette on Friday to take control of the last flotilla vessel they hadn’t seized until then, crew members on the aid boat chanted about Gaza.

“From the sea to Gaza – we will not forget you,” went the words, recorded in a video shared by Middle East Eye.

“From the sea to Gaza – we will not forget you. We will not let you be forgotten. This is the voice of humanity.”

These were the last words recorded from the Marinette, the last active boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla, before Israeli forces intercepted them on Friday.

With… pic.twitter.com/nZfaG2Vrzd

— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) October 3, 2025

Israel’s far-right national security minister has said deporting activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla is a mistake, arguing they should instead be jailed for several months.

“I think they must be kept here for a few months in an Israeli prison, so that they get used to the smell of the terrorist wing,” said Ben-Gvir in a post on X.

He said that by simply returning them to their countries, Israel’s PM Netanyahu is encouraging the activists to “to return time and time again”.

Earlier, as we reported, Ben-Gvir appeared on video berating the detained flotilla passengers, calling them “terrorists” as they sat on the ground of what appears to be Israel’s Ashdod port.

The Turkish state-run Anadolu Agency has compiled a list of some of the notable flotilla activists currently in Israeli detention.

Israel is thought to have detained more than 500 activists, who it is accused of having intercepted illegally as they were attempting to bring aid to the besieged enclave of Gaza.

Among them, the agency notes, are:

Greta Thunberg
The Swedish climate activist, widely known for her global climate advocacy, has also participated in multiple Gaza aid flotillas, including the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Nkosi Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela
A South African activist and former legislator, Mandela is the grandson of the iconic anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela.

Ada Colau
Spanish politician and activist Colau served as mayor of Barcelona from 2015 until 2023.

Juan Bordera
Bordera, a Spanish screenwriter, journalist and writer, is also an elected representative from Spain’s Compromís Coalition.

Pilar Castillejo
Castillejo serves as a member of Catalonia’s regional parliament in Spain.

Rima Hassan
A human rights advocate and member of France Unbowed, Hassan also represents her party in the European Parliament.

Maria Celeste Fierro
Fierro is an Argentinian politician and activist.

Mariana Mortagua
An economist and parliamentarian, Mortagua sits in Portugal’s national legislature.

Emma Fourreau
Fourreau, affiliated with France Unbowed, combines her work in climate activism with a seat in the European Parliament.

Chris Andrews
An Irish Sinn Fein politician, Andrews has served as a senator representing the Labour Panel since January.

Thiago Avila
Avila, a Brazilian human rights activist and member of the flotilla’s steering committee, has previously taken part in Gaza aid missions and was detained by Israeli authorities.

Tadhg Hickey
Hickey is an Irish comedian, writer, filmmaker, and human rights campaigner.

Chris Smalls
An American labour organiser and human rights advocate, Smalls is known for his activism within the labour movement.

Kleoniki Alexopoulou
Alexopoulou, a historian from Greece, is part of the flotilla’s steering committee.

Luizianne Lins
Lins, a journalist and politician, formerly served as mayor of Fortaleza, Brazil’s fourth-largest city.

Arturo Scotto
Scotto is a legislator in Italy’s Chamber of Deputies.

Mushtaq Ahmed
A Pakistani politician, Ahmed previously served as a senator.

Muhammad Nadir Al-Nuri
Al-Nuri, a Malaysian humanitarian activist, has coordinated multiple aid missions to Gaza.

In the last few hours, the Global Sumud Flotilla posted footage of a young Israeli, Itamar Greenberg, attempting to enter Gaza in protest against his country’s war.

In his post, Greenberg, who comes from an ultra-Orthodox family, wrote: “Right now: breaking the siege. We are literally in Gaza!”

Itamar Greenberg, a Jewish Israeli anti-war activist from a Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) family, refuses to serve in the IDF in protest against the occupation.

On his post, he wrote:
"Right now: breaking the siege.
We are literally in Gaza! " pic.twitter.com/sEUcE8pnxq

— Global Sumud Flotilla (@GlobalSumud) October 3, 2025

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has ordered the expulsion of Israel’s entire diplomatic delegation from the country in protest over the detention of two Colombian nationals on board the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Petro had cut diplomatic ties with Israel in May 2024. On Wednesday, however, he went further, instructing any remaining Israeli diplomatic representatives to leave Colombian territory immediately.

Unions across Italy have called a daylong general strike to protest against the interception of the flotilla. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in support of the aid mission, which academics in Rome say has long resonated in the Catholic-majority country.

“After what I saw with the flotilla, I thought I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. It’s the first time I’ve joined this kind of demonstration,” Mario Mascetti, a protester in Rome, told Reuters.

In the capital, crowds marched from Piazza Vittorio to the main train station, carrying union and Palestinian flags as well as banners. The strike caused delays and cancellations across the rail network, with more limited disruption at airports. Metro lines continued running in both Rome and Milan.

“This is not just any strike. We’re here to defend brotherhood among peoples, to put humanity back at the centre, to say no to genocide and to a policy of rearmament,” said Maurizio Landini, leader of the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL).

Ktziot prison, where the flotilla activists are being held before deportation, has been widely criticised by rights groups for its conditions.

Located in the Negev desert in southern Israel, Ktziot has long had a reputation for harsh treatment.

In a 2025 report titled Welcome to Hell, the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem documented the cases of 12 Palestinians held there. It cited a lack of food and water, severe beatings and incidents of sexual abuse among the abuses faced by prisoners.

Popular protests erupted worldwide overnight after the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla at sea.

Alongside a 15,000-strong march in Barcelona, demonstrations were held in cities across the globe.

Protests were reported in Berlin, Paris, Buenos Aires and Karachi, among others.

In Dublin, Miriam McNally told AFP that her daughter was among those detained by Israel on the flotilla.

“I am worried sick for my daughter, but I am so proud of her and of what she’s doing,” McNally said at a demonstration in the Irish capital.

“She is standing up for humanity in the face of grave danger,” she added.

Bangladesh has condemned Israel’s attack on the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla and demanded the immediate, unconditional release of the aid and rights workers seized at sea.

In a statement on Friday, the Foreign Ministry of the South Asian nation called the Israeli action a “flagrant violation of international law and a brazen manifestation of Israel’s use of hunger as a weapon of war”.

Dhaka urged Israel to guarantee the safety of those detained and to end what it described as a genocidal war and humanitarian blockade in Gaza.

“The much-needed humanitarian aid flotilla represents global solidarity with the occupied Palestinian people. Israel must allow its unhindered access to Gaza, where civilians are being denied their basic rights to life, dignity and livelihood,” the ministry said.

Bangladesh, a nation of 170 million people, does not recognise Israel.

The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh 🇧🇩 deeply condemns the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international water, which was carrying humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza, by the Israeli occupying forces. pic.twitter.com/ekflXFNRy3

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@BDMOFA) October 3, 2025

Another flotilla is sailing towards the Gaza Strip in an attempt to challenge Israel’s maritime blockade, activists say.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition says the Conscience boat left Italy on Wednesday carrying about 100 activists, many of them healthcare workers and journalists.

It joins eight other vessels that departed nearly a week earlier.

The nine ships are currently off the coast of the Greek island of Crete, according to live tracking data.

The group has confirmed the Israeli navy intercepted all 42 of its Gaza aid vessels.

In a statement on Telegram, it said the Marinette – the last remaining boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla – was “illegally” intercepted by the navy at 10:29am local time (07:29 GMT), about 42.5 nautical miles (equivalent to 80km) from Gaza.

“But this is not the end of our mission,” it pledged. “Our determination to confront Israel’s atrocities and stand with the Palestinian people remains unshaken.”

It also called for the release of all 461 activists detained by Israeli naval forces.

But even as all 42 boats in the flotilla have now been captured by Israeli military forces, organisers of the aid campaign said they will not stop efforts to break the blockade of Gaza.

“This is not the end of our mission. Our determination to confront Israel’s atrocities and stand with the Palestinian people remains unshaken,” the Global Sumud Flotilla said in a post on Instagram. “As people rise up in cities worldwide to demand an end to these horrors and to take a stand for humanity, we rise together with one voice:

We will not stop until the genocide ends.
We will not stop until Palestine is free.”

The Global Sumud Flotilla, the organisation behind the boats that have been attempting to break Israel’s illegal naval blockade of a starving Gaza, said that the Marinette, the last vessel that was sailing towards the Palestinian enclave, was intercepted at 10:29am (7:29 GMT).

In livestream footage from the boat seen before the camera was shut, Israeli commandos could be seen approaching the Marinette on their boat, and then boarding the aid vessel.

The flotilla’s organisers said the Marinette was 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza at the time — which means it was in international waters.

Marinette, the last remaining boat of the Global Sumud Flotilla, was intercepted at 10:29am local time, approximately 42.5 nautical miles from Gaza.
Over 38 hours, Israeli occupation naval forces illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels—each carrying … https://t.co/SYT9QyY03H

— Global Sumud Flotilla (@gbsumudflotilla) October 3, 2025