Israeli Naval Forces Attack Global Fleet of Resilience, Injuring 31 Activists Near Crete

A humanitarian aid convoy known as the “Global Fleet of Resilience” was attacked by Israeli occupation naval forces in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea, injuring activists as it tried to break the blockade on the Gaza Strip and deliver aid to civilians besieged there.

Yeni Şafak, citing Asharq Al-Awsat, said the assault happened on Wednesday evening as the fleet sailed “in international waters off the Greek island of Crete,” with the targeting described as aimed at ships en route to deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza as part of the “Spring Mission 2026” initiative launched from Sicily, Italy.

Al-Jazeera Net

The same account said the attack left 31 activists “in varying degrees” and described the convoy as including participants from 39 countries, including Turkish nationals, with injuries among international activists from “several European, American, and Oceanian countries.”

Anadolu Ajansı reported that a private plane carrying 59 activists from the Global Resilience Fleet landed at Istanbul Airport on Friday evening, after the Israeli aggression in international waters in the Mediterranean while heading to break the siege of Gaza.

Anadolu also said rights groups reported that the Israeli Navy detained about 180 international activists, most of whom were later transferred to Greek shores in coordination with Athens, while activists Saif Abu Kashk and Tiago Avila were taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod for questioning.

The Guardian described a related flotilla episode in the same week, saying British activists Alice Chapman and Zak Khan were among “180 members of the Global Sumud flotilla detained by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in international waters near Crete late on Wednesday.”

Israel said it arrested around 175 activists from the “Global Solidarity Fleet for Gaza,” while organizers accused Israel of “kidnapping” 211 people, according to اندبندنت عربية.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry, via the X platform, said Spaniard Seif Abu Kashk and Brazilian Tiago Avila Bata were in Israel and “will be questioned by law enforcement authorities.”

Anadolu Ajansi

The same report said Israel announced on Saturday that it had moved two activists from the Global Solidarity Fleet for Gaza to its territory for questioning after the fleet’s ships were intercepted by the Israeli army off the coast of Greece last Thursday.

It also stated that the fleet, consisting of more than 50 ships, had set out from ports in France, Spain, and Italy with the aim of breaking the Israeli blockade on Gaza and delivering aid, before being intercepted by Israeli forces on Wednesday night.

Anadolu Ajansı described the aftermath in operational terms, saying rights groups reported that the Israeli Navy detained about 180 international activists and that Saif Abu Kashk and Tiago Avila were taken to the Israeli port of Ashdod for questioning.

The Guardian added that two members of the flotilla, Saif Abukeshek and Thiago Ávila, were “still being held in Israel,” and that they had been brought before a court in the city of Ashkelon, but “neither has been charged.”

Multiple accounts described physical abuse and harsh detention conditions during the interception and transfer.

Anadolu Ajansı quoted Australian physician Bianca Webb Bulman describing how Israeli soldiers boarded the boat with weapons pointed at them, adding: “They tied everyone's hands and then transferred us by their boats to a warship.”

She said detainees were kept in “exhausting positions, such as kneeling for long periods,” and that “They placed us in a yard containing shipping containers, and put 45 people in each container. We had no covers.”

The same Anadolu report included American physician John Francis Reuer saying: “Today I witnessed how people who empathize with the suffering of others are treated as criminals,” and it described forced lying on the ground, kneeling, and beatings when detainees moved.

Sajjad Hussein, a participant from Britain, told Anadolu that they were attacked with rubber bullets during the “unlawful intervention by Israel against the fleet,” and he said: “We were delivering humanitarian aid and heading to Gaza. They attacked us in international waters, much earlier than Crete, and these are not their lands or their area.”

The Guardian described British activist Zak Khan saying he was “shot in the leg with a rubber bullet fired by an Israeli solder,” and he said: “I was beaten by four people, repeatedly punched, kicked, spat on and accused of being a terrorist,” while Alice Chapman told the Guardian that an Israeli soldier “punched her.”

The accounts also tied the flotilla episode to sanctions and political disputes involving the United States and European governments.

اندبندنت عربية said the Israeli Foreign Ministry added that the activists belong to the “Popular Conference of Palestinians Abroad,” which the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned in January.

Oz Arab Media

It reported that the U.S. Treasury said the Popular Conference of Palestinians Abroad played a role in organizing other efforts to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza, and that Washington accused the conference of “working in secret on behalf of” the Hamas movement.

The same report said the United States backed the Israeli authorities in intercepting the ships, describing the latest flotilla as a “political show,” and it quoted a State Department statement saying the flotilla was “a Hamas-supporting initiative” and a counter-effort “with no basis to undermine the peace plan laid out by President Trump.”

In parallel, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares told Catalan radio RAC1 that Israel’s detention of Seif Abu Kashk was “illegal,” calling for his immediate release, saying: “We are facing an illegal arrest in international waters outside the jurisdiction of Israeli authorities, therefore Seif Abu Kashk must be released immediately so he can return to Spain.”

The Guardian described Spain and Brazil issuing a joint statement on Friday condemning what they described as the “abduction of two of their citizens in international waters by the government of Israel.”

The sources framed the stakes as both humanitarian and legal, while describing ongoing initiatives and future steps.

Anadolu Ajansı said the Spring 2026 Mission of the Global Resilience Fleet “set sail after completing its final preparations” from the Italian island of Sicily on Sunday, even as the Israeli army had launched an assault in international waters off Crete on Wednesday evening targeting the boats carrying the activists.

SBS Australia

Yeni Şafak, citing Asharq Al-Awsat, described the Global Fleet of Resilience as a global civilian initiative aimed at breaking the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip “in place since 2007,” and it said the current voyage included “345 activists from 39 countries.”

It also stated that “Seventeen boats were able to enter Greek territorial waters,” while “the occupation detained 21 boats,” and “14 boats continue to sail,” placing the incident within a broader pattern of interdictions.

The Guardian said the organisers of the Global Sumud flotilla condemned Israeli’s actions as piracy, saying those on board had been seized unlawfully “more than 600 miles from Gaza,” and it reported that Israeli authorities had been approached for comment.

It also quoted the UK Foreign Office saying it was engaging with Israeli authorities “with the expectation that the situation will be resolved safely and in line with international law.”