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SvennoJ on 01 October 2025
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Gaza Sumud flotilla : Israel begins to intercept ships


A screengrab from a live video footage shows crew members sitting in a circle aboard the Gaza-bound Alma vessel, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, in this screengrab from a video released on October 1

We’ve been hearing from the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has posted a video on X, attempting to link these humanitarian missions to Hamas.

We are hearing from the Israeli media that the Israeli navy has taken over and now has control over two boats. We have also heard the Israeli government accuse the flotilla of trying to be provocative when they refused Israeli offers to take the humanitarian assistance to Gaza.

Of course, we know that Israel has not been allowing aid into Gaza, and is accused of using famine as a weapon of war. Israel is also impeding the entry of assistance of food, medicine and vital supplies. It’s even impeding the entry of critical supplies for children who are severely malnourished.

The aid on board could save potentially the lives of children who are dying of engineered starvation.

 

Israel, Sumud Flotilla release videos of communications as interception begins

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has released a video purportedly showing an Israeli navy officer telling the flotilla to change its course to the Israeli port of Ashdod “where the aid will undergo a security inspection” before being transferred to Gaza.

The Global Sumud Flotilla released its own video showing a response from steering committee member Thiago Avila.

“You say that we are entering an active warzone. You are saying that we are entering a place where you are committing war crimes,” Avila said. “This is against international law. Once again, the International Court of Justice made a provisional ruling that any attempt to hinder a humanitarian mission to Gaza is prohibited by international law, and [the flotilla] is complying with the request to make you accountable for the crime of genocide.”

“It is our moral duty to refuse any attempt of an occupying force to control humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people in Gaza who have … the right to control their own borders,” he added. “Therefore, we do not recognise you as a legitimate agent to bring aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

Why the Flotilla will not ‘hand over’ aid to Israel

Israel has demanded several times that the Global Sumud Flotilla hand over the aid its vessels are carrying, claiming that it will distribute it to the people in Gaza.

The GSF has refused. Here are the reasons it has shared for its refusal:

  1. It does not believe Israel’s claims, given that it has not been allowing the full entry of UN aid into Gaza for months, causing a famine that led to accusations of using starvation as a weapon of war.
  2. The international laws of the sea expressly prohibit naval blockades that cause starvation of civilians and obligate the granting of safe passage to humanitarian aid.