The Israeli military intercepted the last boat in an aid flotilla attempting to reach blockaded Gaza on Friday, a day after stopping most of the vessels and detaining some 450 activists including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg.
The organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said the Marinette was intercepted some 42.5 nautical miles (79 km) from Gaza. Israeli army radio said the navy had taken control of the last ship in the flotilla, detained those aboard and that the vessel was being led to Ashdod port in Israel.
In a statement, the Global Sumud Flotilla said Israeli naval forces had now "illegally intercepted all 42 of our vessels, each carrying humanitarian aid, volunteers, and the determination to break Israel’s illegal siege on Gaza".
MARINETTE PASSENGERS CLAIM TO SEE A WARSHIP
A camera broadcasting from the Marinette showed someone holding up a note saying "We see a ship! It's a warship", before a boat is seen approaching and soldiers boarding. A voice is heard telling the people on board not to move and to put their hands in the air.
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the boat's status.
The ministry said on Thursday the flotilla's one remaining vessel would be prevented from breaching the blockade if it tried to.
The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge Israel's naval blockade of the enclave, almost two years into Israel's siege of Gaza which was sparked by the Hamas group’s October 7 attacks.
Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt. The foreign ministry had said the flotilla was previously warned that it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a "lawful naval blockade", and asked organizers to change course. It had offered to transfer aid to Gaza.
The Israeli foreign ministry on Friday said that four Italians had been deported.
"The rest are in the process of being deported. Israel is keen to end this procedure as quickly as possible," it said in a statement. All the flotilla participants were "safe and in good health", it added.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets in cities across Europe as well as in Karachi, Buenos Aires and Mexico City on Thursday to protest the flotilla's interception.
On Friday, tens of thousands of Italians demonstrated, as part of a day-long general strike called by unions in support of the flotilla.
BEN-GVIR CALLS ACTIVISTS 'TERRORISTS'
During a visit to Ashdod on Thursday night, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was filmed calling the activists "terrorists" as he stood in front of them.
"These are the terrorists of the flotilla," he said, speaking in Hebrew and pointing at dozens of people sitting on the ground. His spokesperson confirmed the video was filmed at Ashdod port on Thursday night.
Some activists are heard shouting "Free Palestine".
Cyprus said one of the flotilla boats had docked in Cyprus with 21 foreigners aboard. The vessel had asked to dock in Larnaca for refueling and humanitarian reasons, a Cypriot government spokesperson said.
The spokesperson did not identify the boat, or say whether it had been among those stopped by the Israeli military.
Israel has faced widespread global condemnation over the war in Gaza, and is defending itself against charges of genocide in the International Court of Justice.
Israel says its actions have been in self-defense and has consistently denied genocide allegations. Israel's offensive has killed over 66,000 people, Palestinian health authorities say. It began after Hamas-led fighters attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. About 1,200 people were killed during the assault, and 251 were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures.
Israel has accepted a new US proposal announced this week to end the war that demands Hamas surrender. US President Donald Trump, who said he would temporarily oversee governance of Gaza under the plan, has given Hamas a few days to respond, and warned Hamas that Israel would continue its siege of Gaza if the group refused.
