Israeli occupation military forces assaulted a humanitarian aid flotilla sailing through international waters toward the besieged Gaza Strip, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) announced on Wednesday. The coalition reported that its civilian-led vessels, carrying essential medical and nutritional supplies, were surrounded and boarded by Israeli troops who had first jammed their communications.
The FFC—an international group of pro-Palestinian organizations—stated that the interception is a flagrant violation of international law, stressing that “the Israeli military has no legal jurisdiction over international waters” and that the unarmed flotilla posed “no harm whatsoever.”
Messages of solidarity were displayed by a participant on the Gaza Sunbirds vessels shortly before Israeli occupation forces intercepted the vessel. pic.twitter.com/q6lE0TnE3T
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 8, 2025
“Our humanitarian convoy is under attack by the Israeli military,” the coalition said in a statement, condemning the seizure of at least two boats. The ships were carrying over $110,000 in critically needed aid, including medicines, respiratory equipment, and nutritional supplements destined for Gaza’s collapsing hospital system.
In a routine dismissal of such missions, Israel’s foreign ministry claimed the vessels and passengers had been safely diverted to an Israeli port and would be deported. It labeled the civilian-led effort “another futile attempt to breach the legal naval blockade and enter a combat zone.”
This incident marks the second such aggressive interception in recent days. Earlier this week, Israeli forces detained more than 450 international activists and seized approximately 40 vessels from the separate “Global Sumud Flotilla,” which was also attempting to deliver emergency aid to Gaza’s starving population.
The flotillas are organized to break Israel’s 17-year blockade of Gaza, which has created catastrophic living conditions for its 2.3 million residents. The humanitarian crisis has escalated dramatically since Israel launched its devastating assault on the enclave following the October 7, 2023, Operation Al-Aqsa Flood by Palestinian resistance fighters.
Gaza health authorities report that roughly 67,000 Palestinians have been martyred since ‘Israel’ launched its assault following the October 7, 2023 Operation Al-Aqsa Flood by Palestinian resistance fighters.
Source: Agencies (translated and edited by Al-Manar English Website)
