Israel intercepts Gaza-bound boats, arrests activists

Israel faced international condemnation and protests on Thursday after its forces intercepted around 40 boats carrying aid and more than 400 foreign activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, to Gaza.

Cameras broadcasting feeds from the boats showed armed Israeli soldiers sporting helmets and night vision goggles boarding the ships, while passengers huddled together in life vests with their hands up.

A video from the Israeli foreign ministry showed Sweden's Thunberg, the most prominent of the flotilla's passengers, sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers.


Thunberg, 22, best known for her environmental protests, had pre-recorded a video which was released on her behalf after her ship was boarded. "If you are watching this video, I have been abducted and taken against my will by Israeli forces. Our humanitarian mission was non-violent and abiding by international law," she said.

Those vessels intercepted and those on board were expected to be taken initially to the Israeli port of Ashdod, where one ship was seen arriving. "All the passengers are safe and in good health. They are making their way safely to Israel, from where they will be deported to Europe," the Israeli foreign ministry said on X. "One last vessel of this provocation remains at a distance. If it approaches, its attempt to enter an active combat zone and breach the blockade will also be prevented," it added.

The Global Sumud Flotilla , the organiser of the voyage, said an estimated 443 volunteers had been detained, some of them transferred to one large cargo vessel before being taken ashore.