AdvertisementAdvertisementThis frame grab from video released by the Global Sumud Flotilla shows Israeli navy soldiers aboard one of the flotilla's vessels after it was intercepted as it approached the coast of Gaza early Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (Global Sumud Flotilla via AP)03 Oct 2025 05:55AM Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInRead a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST GAZA: Israel faced international condemnation and protests on Thursday (Oct 2) after its military intercepted almost all of about 40 boats in a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza and took captive more than 450 foreign activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg.Cameras broadcasting live feeds from the boats showed armed Israeli soldiers in helmets and night vision goggles boarding the ships, while passengers huddled in life vests with their hands up.A video from the Israeli foreign ministry showed Thunberg, the most prominent of the passengers, sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers.A protester holds a placard which reads "Free the Sumud Flotilla" during a protest to condemn the Israeli forces' interception of the vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla aiming to reach Gaza and break Israel's naval blockade and for the release of the crews, and to protest against Israel's operations in the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, at the Place de la Republique in Paris, France, October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Tom NicholsonPro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets in cities across Europe as well as in Karachi, Buenos Aires and Mexico City, to protest Israel's capture of the activists two years into its assault on Gaza. Italian unions called a general strike for Friday.The Global Sumud Flotilla, the organiser of the voyage, said on X that more than 450 volunteers had been detained. Earlier, it said some of them were transferred to one large cargo vessel before being taken ashore.One boat, the Marinette, was "still sailing strong," flotilla organisers said on a live video stream that showed the crew piloting the boat. Organisers said the Marinette was about 80 nautical miles from Gaza on Thursday night, and about 10 nautical miles from where Israel began intercepting other boats in the flotilla.Global Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza intercepted by Israeli forces | VideoFLOTILLA MEMBERS COULD BE EXPELLED NEXT WEEKThunberg, 22, best known for her environmental protests, had pre-recorded a video that was released on her behalf after her ship was boarded."If you are watching this video, I have been abducted and taken against my will by Israeli forces," she said. "Our humanitarian mission was non-violent and abiding by international law."Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he expected the members of the flotilla to be expelled from Israel on Monday and Tuesday and sent to European capitals on charter flights.The Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement it was taking all the people it had captured from the flotilla ashore at Ashdod, and that all were "safe and in good health.""One last vessel of this provocation remains at a distance," the ministry said. "If it approaches, its attempt to enter an active combat zone and breach the blockade will also be prevented."Israel to deport Gaza flotilla activistsERDOGAN CONDEMNS 'THUGGERY' DIRECTED AT FLOTILLATurkish President Tayyip Erdogan criticised Israeli aggression, saying it showed Israel's government has no intention of letting hopes for peace grow."I condemn the thuggery directed at the Global Sumud Flotilla, which set out to draw attention to the barbarity of children dying of hunger in Gaza and to deliver humanitarian aid to the oppressed Palestinians,” he said in a speech to officials from his AK Party in the capital Ankara.The Istanbul chief prosecutor's office said it had launched an investigation into the detention of 24 Turkish citizens on the vessels, Türkiye’s state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.South African President Cyril Ramaphosa urged Israel to immediately release South Africans who were on the flotilla, including former President Nelson Mandela's grandson, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela.The activists were expected to be transferred to the immigration authority upon arrival in Ashdod, from where they will be moved to Ketziot Prison in southern Israel before they are deported, said Suhad Bishara, the director at Adalah, a human rights organisation and legal centre in Israel.Israel issues 'last' warning for Gaza City residents to fleeHIGH PROFILE OPPOSITION TO GAZA BLOCKADEThe flotilla, which set sail in late August, was transporting medicine and food to Gaza and consisted of more than 40 civilian vessels with parliamentarians, lawyers and activists in a high-profile display of opposition to Israel's blockade of Gaza, which many have said amounts to violations of the Genocide Convention.Israeli officials have repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt. Israel is defending itself against charges of genocide in the International Court of Justice and broader global opprobrium, arguing its actions have been in self-defence.As the flotilla sailed across the Mediterranean Sea, Türkiye, Spain and Italy sent boats or drones in case their nationals required assistance, even as it triggered repeated warnings from Israel to turn back.Thousands rally outside US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur after Israel intercepts Gaza aid flotillaHAMAS EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR ACTIVISTSIsrael's navy had previously warned the flotilla it was approaching an active combat zone and violating a lawful blockade, and asked organisers to change course. It had offered to transfer any aid peacefully through safe channels to Gaza.The flotilla is the latest seaborne attempt to break Israel's blockade of Gaza, much of which has been turned into a wasteland by almost two years of war.In a statement, Hamas, which governs Gaza, expressed support for the activists and called Israel's interception of the flotilla a "criminal act", calling for public protests to condemn Israel.Snap Insight: Trump’s Gaza peace plan – some cause for optimism, but will it be enough?The US and Israel announced a new proposal to end the conflict this week that includes Hamas surrendering. US President Donald Trump, who said he would temporarily oversee the governance of Gaza under his plan, gave Hamas a few days to respond and warned of continued escalation if Hamas refused.The boats were about 70 nautical miles off Gaza when they were intercepted, inside a zone that Israel is policing to stop any boats approaching. The organisers said their communications, including the use of a live camera feed from some of the boats, had been scrambled.Israel began its Gaza offensive after the Oct 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken as hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. The offensive has killed over 66,000 people in Gaza, Palestinian health authorities say.Source: Reuters/fsSign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST