The Global Sumud Flotilla has announced that its fleet has sailed into the “high-risk zone,” 150 nautical miles (278km) from Gaza, where previous flotillas were attacked or stopped by Israeli forces.
The flotilla seeking to break Israel’s aid blockade of Gaza said on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, that several of its boats had been approached by patrol vessels and a submarine, as crews braced for an Israeli raid.
The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), carrying around 500 pro-Palestinian activists, among them the climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, says its mission is to establish a humanitarian corridor into Gaza.
The convoy, which also includes humanitarian supplies, is currently being shadowed by a Spanish naval ship providing cover in case of drone attacks.
Until Tuesday, the flotilla was also escorted by an Italian warship that, according to organisers, offered participants the chance to abandon their vessels before entering what has been described as a “critical zone.”
The activists rejected the offer, denouncing it as an attempt to sabotage the mission. Italy has since withdrawn its frigate.
In recent weeks, the Italian government and the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, had repeatedly urged the flotilla to avoid confrontation with Israel and to deliver aid instead via Israeli or Cypriot ports.
The activists, however, insist their operation is not about the aid – which they describe as largely symbolic – but about breaking Israel’s “illegal siege” of the territory.
Four Italian opposition MPs on board the vessels said in a joint statement, “Our mission stays true to its original goal of breaking Israel’s illegal blockade and delivering humanitarian aid to the besieged population of Gaza.”
The flotilla was attacked last week by drones that dropped stun grenades and itching powder, causing minor damage but no injuries.
As the vessel nears Gaza, scrutiny on Israel has grown. Israel’s navy has said that it is preparing to seize control of the more than 50 vessels now within its interception range.
The elite Shayetet 13 naval commando unit is reportedly on standby for the operation, which could involve towing ships to the port of Ashdod or sinking some at sea.
In a post on X, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, stated that the flotilla’s rejection of the Italian proposal to unload aid in Cyprus proved that “their real purpose is provocation and serving Hamas.”
Saar demanded that the ships in the flotilla stop as they continue heading towards Gaza.
“We join these calls and reiterate: It is not too late. Please transfer any aid you might have peacefully through the Port of Cyprus, the Ashkelon Marina, or any other port in the region into Gaza.”
Gideon Sa’ar
Israel Urged Not To Harm Global Sumud Flotilla Activists
Meanwhile, Italy and Greece issued a joint statement through their Foreign Ministers urging Israel not to harm the activists in the flotilla.
The two countries said that they “call on the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety and security of the participants and to allow for all consular protection measures.”
The statement also called on the activists to consider an offer from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem that the aid be handed over to the Catholic Church so it could distribute it, a proposal that the activists have previously rejected.
The two countries reaffirmed the need to guarantee humanitarian access to Gaza and reach a ceasefire “as soon as possible.”
Amnesty International, one of the world’s largest human rights organisations, joined a chorus of voices globally calling for the protection of the Global Sumud Flotilla, saying, “States have a responsibility to guarantee the flotilla’s safe passage”
In a post on X, it said that the “persistent inaction of states in the face of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has forced activists from across the world to take peaceful measures to break the siege.”
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