Military vessels have intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla on its mission to deliver aid to Gaza and challenge the Israeli blockade of aid into the region. The fleet departed from the Turkish city of Marmaris with about 50 vessels last week.
Global Sumud Flotilla intercepted in international waters
The Global Sumud Flotilla, in a post on X, alerted the public that military vessels have begun intercepting the fleet on its way to Gaza. Israeli forces have also begun boarding the first of the boats.
According to the real-time flotilla tracker, the interception of the fleet began at 7:06 UTC on Monday, 18 May, 2026. The tracker also indicates that Israeli forces have now intercepted about 31 boats.
The military vessels intercepted the fleet just off the coast of Cyprus as the boats inched closer to Gaza. Online video footage shows Israeli forces approaching the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Moreover, this is the second interception by Israeli forces in international waters in the last two months. The Israeli forces also intercepted the first effort of the Global Sumud Flotilla in delivering aid to Gaza last year.
During the last interception of the flotilla in April, Israeli forces took about 180 activists captive. Though Israeli authorities have released all captured activists, the activists accused Israeli authorities of maltreatment and torture while in detention.
Before the interceptions began, UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese posted on X urging Mediterranean states to protect the flotilla.
“Hands off the Flotilla. I urge Mediterranean states to protect the civilian vessels that are trying to break Israel’s genocidal siege on Gaza,” she posted.
She was also part of the Global Sumud Parliamentary Congress, where she provided an assessment of the situation in Gaza. Her post came after the activists shared that unidentified vessels had been spotted near their fleet.
In a press conference held just before the flotilla departed from Turkey, organisers described the current mission as the final stage of the journey of challenging the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
Israeli authorities claim flotilla is backed by terrorists
Israel has claimed that the Global Sumud is backed by terrorists and carries no aid for Gaza. Just before reports of the interception, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned the flotilla to abandon its course.
Moreover, Israeli authorities accused the activists they previously captured on the flotilla of providing services to a terrorist organisation. They also accused them of assisting the enemy during wartime.
While Israel claims that there is enough aid in Gaza, organisations like Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) have said that there is a severe malnutrition crisis in Gaza. MSF attributed the crisis to the blockade of aid as well as attacks on civilian infrastructure.
The Global Sumud legal team, just after the fleet’s departure from Turkey, issued a press release defining the legal nature of the mission. The team in the release also noted that the flotilla has implemented a strategy to ensure accountability.