Israel intercepts 2nd int'l aid flotilla heading to Gaza

A vessel of the Gaza-bound flotilla is tugged towards the port of Ashdod in southern Israel, Oct. 8, 2025. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)

JERUSALEM, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- An international aid flotilla on its way to Gaza was intercepted by the Israeli navy in the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

This marked the second recent attempt by a civilian aid flotilla to break the naval blockade of Gaza, following Israel's interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) last week. That mission involved over 470 volunteers from more than 40 countries.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV News reported that on Wednesday morning, the navy seized eight small yachts and a 68-meter cruise ship carrying around 100 activists from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) within 40 minutes.

According to the statement and the channel, the vessels and the activists were transferred to the Port of Ashdod in southern Israel.

The ministry added that all the passengers are safe and in good health and are expected to be deported promptly.

According to the flotilla organizers, among the volunteers on board were doctors, journalists, and activists.

They claimed in a statement that Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard these ships, adding that this seizure "blatantly violates international law and defies the International Court of Justice's binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza."

Israel imposed a naval blockade on Gaza in 2007 after Hamas seized control of the enclave. The restrictions were further tightened following Hamas's cross-border assault into southern Israel in October 2023.

A vessel of the Gaza-bound flotilla is tugged towards the port of Ashdod in southern Israel, Oct. 8, 2025. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)

A vessel of the Gaza-bound flotilla is tugged towards the port of Ashdod in southern Israel, Oct. 8, 2025. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua)