Israel has intercepted aid ships bound for Gaza in international waters near Greece, organizers said, escalating tensions over humanitarian access to the blockaded Palestinian territory.
The vessels, part of a second humanitarian flotilla organized by the Global Sumud Flotilla, had departed from Barcelona on April 12 carrying aid intended for Palestinians in Gaza. According to organizers, the ships were seized hundreds of miles from their destination, in waters near Crete.
A CCTV footage shows crew of the second flotilla that sailed from the Spanish port of Barcelona, carrying humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, raise their arms with a member as the vessel is said to be intercepted by Israeli Army at a location given as at sea off coast Greece, April 30, 2026 in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Global Sumud Flotilla/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT. TEXT AND OVERLAYS FROM SOURCE. VERIFICATION – Location not verified but Global Sumud Flotilla’s vessel tracker website shows vessels were intercepted at sea offcoast Greece Date confirmed from the timestamp of the CCTV footage Israel has begun taking control of aid ships bound for Gaza far from Israeli shores, Israeli army radio cited an Israeli source as saying on Wednesday Global Sumud Flotilla confirmed in a statement that their vessels were intercepted by Israeli forces on Wednesday
“This is piracy,” the group said in a statement, describing the operation as an unlawful seizure carried out far beyond Israel’s borders. The organizers accused Israel of acting with “total impunity” and extending its control into international waters in the Mediterranean.
They added that no state has the right to police or occupy international waters, arguing that Israel’s actions represented a dangerous precedent.
Israel’s position sharply differs. Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, said the flotilla had been stopped “before reaching our area.” In a post on X, he described participants as “delusional attention-seeking agitators” and said Israeli forces acted with “professionalism and determination.”
The incident echoes a similar operation last October, when Israeli forces halted a previous flotilla organized by the same group and detained more than 450 participants, including climate activist Greta Thunberg.
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Israel maintains control over access to the Gaza Strip and denies restricting essential supplies to its population of more than two million people. However, Palestinians and international aid organizations say the volume of aid reaching the territory remains insufficient.
