Israel Captures Vessels from Sumud Flotilla to Gaza

The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced today that its forces had intercepted several vessels from the Sumud flotilla, which included Swedish political activist Greta Thunberg. The ministry stated that Thunberg and her companions are being transferred to an Israeli port and are “safe and healthy.” Officials also shared a video showing Thunberg alongside Israeli forces.

The incident marks the second time Israeli forces have captured a Thunberg-led flotilla, with the first interception occurring in June this year. Thunberg describes the Sumud flotilla, Sumud meaning “steadfastness” in Arabic, as “A peaceful humanitarian mission to deliver aid to the civilian population of Gaza.”

Hours before the capture, Thunberg released a video explaining that the interception was imminent, describing it as “A blantant violation of humanitarian and maritime law.” She added, “Israel is not immune to international law. They must be held accountable for their war crimes.”

Israeli channels say the flotilla was backed by Hamas, calling the effort the “Hamas-Sumud flotilla” in a post on X. Yesterday, they claimed that Hamas documents recovered in the Gaza Strip show a direct involvement in the funding and execution of the flotilla.