Israeli troops intercept vessels from a flotilla trying to breach the blockade of Gaza

Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one. Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers THEdge At the cutting edge of education and careers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there Gender Agenda Stories from beyond the binary. The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - May 18, 2026 05:36 pm IST - ANKARA, TURKIYE Boats belonging to the Global Sumud Flotilla, carrying activists and humanitarian aid, depart for Gaza from the port of Marmaris, Türkiye, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in an attempt to break the Israeli naval blockade. File | Photo Credit: AP The Israeli military intercepted on Monday (May 18, 2026) boats off the coast of Cyprus, part of the latest wave of flotilla activists attempting to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. More than 50 vessels departed from the port in Marmaris, Turkiye, last week in what the organisers of the Global Sumud Flotilla described as the final leg of their planned journey to Gaza’s shores. The organisation’s livestream on Monday (May 18, 2026) showed activists aboard several vessels putting on life jackets and raising their hands before a boat carrying Israeli troops approached. Wearing tactical gear, they boarded the ship, and the livestream abruptly ended. Many of the ships are currently off the coast of Cyprus. Other footage showed Israeli forces on speedboats approaching and instructing the activists to move to the front of the boat. At least 17 boats were intercepted in the first three hours of the operation, according to Global Sumud Flotilla’s tracker. Organisers said the boats were intercepted 250 nautical miles from the shores of Gaza. Unlike previous interceptions, which mostly took place under the cover of night, the Israeli military boarded the boats in broad daylight. Israel has maintained a blockade over Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007, a year after winning Palestinian parliamentary elections. The blockade restricts the movement of goods and people in and out of Gaza. Egypt has also occasionally closed the Rafah crossing, which, before the current war, was the only border crossing not under Israel’s control. Critics consider it collective punishment. The flotilla organisers said they expect the activists to be taken to the port of Ashdod, in southern Israel. Activists on previous flotillas were brought to the same port, where some were processed and immediately deported, while others requested a trial and were detained. An hour prior to the interception, Israel’s Foreign Ministry called on activists to “change course and turn back immediately.” “Once again, a provocation for the sake of provocation: another so-called “humanitarian aid flotilla” with no humanitarian aid,” the Foreign Ministry posted on X. The Israeli military declined to comment on the ongoing operation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, watching the operation from the military headquarters in Tel Aviv, commended the soldiers for “thwarting a malicious plan designed to break the isolation we are imposing on Hamas terrorists in Gaza.” Mr. Netanyahu was supposed to be in court on Monday (May 18, 2026) to testify in his ongoing corruption trial, but requested a cancellation due to all-day security meetings. Hamas has condemned Israel’s attack on the flotilla as a “full-fledged crime of piracy.” The militant group called on the international community to pressure Israel to end its blockade of Gaza. Turkiye echoed Hamas’ piracy accusation and called on Israel to immediately halt the operation and release the flotilla participants. “Israel’s attacks and intimidation policies will in no way prevent the international community’s pursuit of justice or its solidarity with the Palestinian people,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Turkiye was working to secure the safe return of its own citizens taking part in the flotilla, the Ministry added. On April 30, Israeli forces intercepted more than 20 boats from a flotilla near the southern Greek island of Crete, initially holding about 175 activists. Israeli officials said they had to act early because of the high number of boats involved. Israel took two of the activists — a Spanish-Swedish citizen of Palestinian origin, Saif Abukeshek, and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila — back to Israel, where they were interrogated and detained for several days. The activists accused Israeli forces of torture, whi

Israeli troops intercept vessels from a flotilla trying to breach the blockade of Gaza

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Israeli troops intercept vessels from a flotilla trying to breach the blockade of Gaza

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