The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday night began intercepting dozens of boats in the “Global Sumud Flotilla” attempting to breach the blockade of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
“Hamas-Sumud passengers on their yachts are making their way safely and peacefully to Israel, where their deportation procedures to Europe will begin. The passengers are safe and in good health,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry tweeted on Thursday morning.
Just after 1:30 p.m., the ministry added: “The Hamas-Sumud provocation is over,” without any incidents reported.
One of the flotilla’s boats, experiencing mechanical problems, remained at sea away from Gaza. The ministry said that “if it approaches, its attempt to enter an active combat zone and breach the blockade will also be prevented.”
Jerusalem maintains that its naval blockade on the enclave, imposed on Jan. 3, 2009, is compatible with international law. It aims to prevent weapons, terrorists and funds from entering or exiting Gaza by sea.
The declared objective of the Global Sumud Flotilla—sumud meaning “steadfastness” in Arabic—was to “to break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor and end the ongoing genocide.”
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and Rima Hassan, a French European parliamentarian of Palestinian origin, were among those participating.
In June, Israel blocked another flotilla to the Gaza Strip. Thunberg, who also participated in that attempt, was returned to her native Sweden and banned from entering Israel, along with 11 others, for 100 years.
“I commend the soldiers and commanders of the Navy who carried out their operations on Yom Kippur in the most professional and efficient manner,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday night.
“Their important actions prevented dozens of vessels from entering the war zone and thwarted a delegitimization campaign against Israel,” he added.
Ahead of the latest interception, the Israeli Foreign Ministry highlighted repeated offers by Italy, Greece and the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem to peacefully deliver any aid the flotilla might have intended for Gaza.
“The flotilla refused because they are not interested in aid, but in provocation,” the ministry said on Wednesday night.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., on Wednesday emphasized that Jerusalem “will not allow any PR stunt approaching an active war zone to violate our sovereignty.
“Those who tried to enter Israeli territory illegally will be deported immediately after Yom Kippur,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry released documents recovered by Israeli forces in Gaza detailing Hamas’s role in organizing multiple flotillas over the years.
In a statement, the ministry said the documents demonstrate a “direct link” between the flotillas and Hamas through its foreign arm, the Palestinian Conference for Palestinians, or PCPA.
The PCPA, which Jerusalem designated as a terrorist organization in 2021, “functions as Hamas’s representative body abroad, operating de facto as Hamas’s embassies,” the ministry said.
One document, a 2021 letter from then-Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, endorsed the PCPA and called for unity with its chairman.
Another document obtained by the IDF lists PCPA operatives, including Zaher Birawi, who has led flotilla campaigns for more than a decade and previously served as a spokesman for the 2010 Mavi Marmara effort.
The Foreign Ministry released photos showing Birawi with flotilla activists, including Thunberg, as well as with senior Hamas terrorists.
Also named is Saif Abu Kashk, a PCPA member from Spain, whom Israel accuses of using a front company, Cyber Neptune, to supply ships for the flotilla. “Thus, these ships are secretly owned by Hamas,” the ministry said.