Israel intercepts Global Sumud ship, orders activists to abandon mission

Israeli military forces intercepted Global Sumud vessels using jamming technology and armed teams, according to the organization and Israeli media. On Thursday evening, the Global Sumud Flotilla relief mission said military speedboats identifying themselves as 'Israel' approached their vessels, flashing lasers and semi-automatic weapons, ordering participants to move to the front of the boat and kneel.

'Communications on board were jammed, and an emergency signal was sent,' the group’s statement added.

Israel’s army radio, citing Israeli sources, said they began intercepting aid boats heading toward Gaza far from Israel’s coast. It also reported that naval forces had seized seven of the 58 vessels in the Global Sumud flotilla near Crete, Greece.

A Global Sumud Flotilla spokesperson described Israel’s boarding as 'a direct attack on unarmed civilian vessels in international waters.'

Gur Tsabar, a press officer with the flotilla, told Al Jazeera from Toronto, Canada, that the maritime assault was occurring 'hundreds of miles off the coast of Israel,' with the convoy 'surrounded and threatened with guns.'

'This is illegal under international law. Israel has no jurisdiction in these waters. Boarding ships like this amounts to unlawful detention—possibly kidnapping on the high seas,' Tsabar said.

'It is critical that every government act immediately. Every government has a duty to protect over 400 civilians on board and uphold international law. Silence now is absolute complicity.'

Al Jazeera’s Arabic channel reported that the Israeli military had sent warnings to activists on board, demanding they turn back immediately and threatening to block the vessels and obstruct their arrival 'by any means necessary' if they continued.

The Gaza Strip has been devastated by more than two years of Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed over 72,500 Palestinians.