Flotilla Capture Day: Why Israel didn't let Thunberg volunteers into Gaza

The detention of a humanitarian flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea, which was heading to Gaza, caused a worldwide outcry, provoking anti-Israeli protests. Experts are convinced that the Jewish state has created no less problems with its actions than it could have if the activists had reached the shores of the exclave. However, Israel's determination is unlikely to stop the activists, led by Greta Thunberg, from sending new ships to the sector in the near future.

Where did the flotilla come from

The Global Sumud Flotilla is a project of the international confederation of volunteer organizations Freedom Flotilla, specializing in the delivery of humanitarian aid and medicines to the Gaza Strip. The Sumud flight ended on the night of October 1-2 after the actions of the Israeli security forces.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of that country reported: "None of the yachts involved in the provocation <...> succeeded in trying to enter the combat zone or break through the legitimate naval blockade. All passengers are healthy and safe. They are heading to Israel, from where they will be deported to Europe."

The detention took place in three stages. At the first, Israeli security forces radioed a warning to the ships, and also conducted aerial reconnaissance by launching several UAVs. This made it possible to estimate the approximate number of crews on each vessel, as well as to check how capable the violators are. In addition, inflatable boats from the Shayetet-13 commandos were sent to the Flotilla's flagships (Alma and Sirius yachts).

On the second, the Sumud vanguard (12-14 vessels) was surrounded by patrol ships. According to the activists, the Israeli patrol carried out "dangerous maneuvering" and "piling sides", and also allegedly rammed the Florida cargo ship. At least two more members of the flotilla (Yulara, Meteque) were fired from water cannons. However, none of these accusations has yet been confirmed. The IDF press service says that the detention was carried out without the use of force.

The final stage of the operation passed without surprises. For several hours, the remaining vessels moving at some distance from the main group were blocked and stopped.

The Israeli authorities' emphasis on "soft measures" is not accidental here. As Kamran Hasanov, senior lecturer at the Department of Theory and History of Journalism at the Faculty of Philology of the RUDN University, points out, in the past, Israel has already had to deal with escalation due to an excessively harsh fight against humanitarian caravans.

— In 2010, the so-called "Freedom Flotilla" was sent there under the leadership of Turkey. A firefight ensued. Several citizens, including those of Turkey, were killed. This caused a diplomatic scandal," the expert recalls. — From a formal point of view, they [Israel] do not recognize Palestine as an independent state. Therefore, any supplies there, in their understanding, violate the sovereignty and security of the country. That is, all such supplies are illegal, and all of them must go through Israeli channels," Kamran Hasanov notes.

In addition, according to him, any interference by external players (especially those aimed at delivering humanitarian aid to the exclave) reduces the effectiveness of the strategy to "squeeze" the Palestinians out of the region by creating unbearable conditions for staying in it.

However, the tracker on the project's website shows that several vessels managed to escape the trap. For example, the yacht "Summertime – Jong" with a cargo of electric generators and food changed course to the Cypriot port of Limassol after a collision with the Israelis. It is possible that her crew decided to transfer the cargo to the Cypriot authorities for further transportation to the exclave. At least one more vessel (the Marinette yacht) "targeted" the Egyptian Port Said, where humanitarian aid is being accumulated, delivered to the exclave by land.

In total, the Freedom Flotilla has been conducting operations for about 20 years and is considered one of the oldest organizations in the West in solidarity with the Palestinian movement. She has at least several successful breakthroughs in the exclave (2008 and 2009). At least 30 foundations from the EU, Southeast Asia, Canada and New Zealand are participating in the project. At the same time, even representatives of countries whose governments do not recognize an independent Palestine (for example, Germany) participate in the implementation of projects.

Despite its solid history, the flotilla remained "on the margins" of the global agenda for a long time — and received a "second life" only in the summer of 2025, when the famous Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg joined the project, becoming its new "ambassador". With her participation, the first large convoy was equipped (the Freedom Flotilla of the same name, June 2025), which set off for Gaza, but was detained by the Israeli Navy. However, as further developments have shown, this caravan was a "trial" before a truly major humanitarian initiative.

The new caravan of the flotilla was equipped in August and received the name "Sumud" ("fortitude"). The project brought together several similar initiatives — in addition to the Freedom Flotilla, Sumud was joined by the organizers of the World March on Gaza (Egypt), the Maghreb Resilience Convoy (Tunisia), Sumud Nusantara (Malaysia) and other pro-Palestinian movements. The activists managed to form a caravan of 44 vessels with a crew of about 500 activists (citizens of 44 countries). This was the largest humanitarian action in the history of the flotilla.

According to the Gaza authorities, in September, the strip received only about 1.8 thousand trucks with humanitarian aid, which covers only 10% of the minimum needs of the population. They noted that the blockade has become suffocating: more than 95% of the population cannot afford to buy necessary goods, even if they are on the market.

Renewed protests

Despite the fact that the detention of the Flotilla was almost as mild as in June 2025, and key members of the caravan (including Greta Thunberg) are still facing deportation, the international community reacted sharply to what happened in the Mediterranean.

The geography of spontaneous protests covered several European countries (Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom), solidarity marches were held in Australia, New Zealand, Colombia and Turkey. The demonstrators blocked roads and railway tracks, boycotted events related to Israel, and protested under the windows of diplomatic missions. According to preliminary estimates, the total number of participants in the protests provoked by the stop of the humanitarian caravan to Gaza has already exceeded 300 thousand people.

Official institutions also reacted to the events. The detention of Sumud was condemned by the governments of Spain, Venezuela, Ireland and Malaysia, calling the incident a "gross violation of international law." And Colombian President Gustavo Petro even ordered the expulsion of all representatives of the Israeli diplomatic corps from the country in response to the "escalation in the Mediterranean Sea."

And although the Israeli Foreign Ministry has so far managed to smooth out the wave of negativity, the pressure on the Jewish state has increased. The activists demand, if not to allow the humanitarian caravan to enter the exclave, then at least to ensure a "transparent transfer" of goods to the Palestinian side.

The tension around the flotilla indirectly affects US President Donald Trump's plan for a long-term settlement of the situation in the Gaza Strip. One of its stages involves Israel's refusal to block humanitarian aid supplies to the Palestinian exclave.

By detaining Sumud, West Jerusalem escalated, blocking one of the largest one-time shipments of medicines, food and building materials. Given that the political wing of Hamas has not yet given an unambiguous answer to the conditions proposed by the White House, it may well use the incident with the flotilla as an argument confirming the "double standards" of the Israeli side and prolong the negotiations. Which is actually not beneficial to either Trump or the Israeli authorities. This means that in the near future the Jewish state will have to show diplomatic flexibility in order to get out of the scandal without major reputational losses.

Murad Sadigzade, President of the Center for Middle East Studies, confirms the existence of long-term image risks for Israel.

— Activists have a lot of international or even global information influence, so they can really create an "information bomb" that can lead to even more negative consequences for Israel. That's why they don't want to allow this, it's not the most pleasant situation for them," he says in an interview with Izvestia.

As for the Sumud leaders, the hype that has arisen has a rather inspiring effect on them. The August caravan managed to launch a new "wave of solidarity" in the West towards Palestine — and at a time when it was particularly in need of it. So, it is worth expecting that, on the wave of success, the flotilla will try to assemble a new naval mission. Which is likely to be no less ambitious than the previous one.