Netanyahu Interrupts Corruption Trial for Security Consultations on International Fleet of Resilience to Gaza

The “International Fleet of Resilience” disrupted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s trial on corruption charges as he sought urgent security consultations tied to efforts “aimed at breaking the siege on the Gaza Strip.”

The Egyptian newspaper Al-Mصري اليوم said Netanyahu interrupted his trial to conduct consultations at the Israeli Defense Ministry, after judges refused an earlier request to shorten the trial to three hours.

Al-Jazeera Net

It reported that Netanyahu then asked to leave the courtroom for an hour for the consultations, and “the judges accepted.”

Al-Mصري اليوم also said Israel Channel 12 stated that the consultations relate to an “international fleet supposed to reach Gaza,” while the Israeli Times of Israel reported that the fleet includes “about 100 ships and around 1,000 participants from different countries.”

In the same account, Israel’s Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said he imposed sanctions on entities funding a fleet heading to the Gaza Strip, explaining that he imposed sanctions on a crowdfunding campaign that launched the “International Fleet of Resilience.”

Katz described the campaign as “an organization organized by Hamas, in collaboration with additional international organizations and under the banner of a humanitarian aid fleet,” adding that “imposing sanctions on the fundraising campaign constitutes an important step to disrupt the fleet's funding sources.”

The newspaper further tied the current initiative to a prior one, saying the September 2025 initiative ended with an Israeli attack on the ships in October while they were sailing in international waters, followed by the detention of hundreds of international activists on board before deportations began.

Greece publicly rejected any claim that it had authority to intervene against the Israeli attack on the “Global Resilience Fleet” near Crete, framing the incident as occurring in international waters.

Anadolu Ajansı reported that Foreign Ministry spokesman Pavlos Marinakis read the government’s statement at a press conference in Athens, saying Israel’s warships were moving “in international waters northwest of Crete, outside Greek territorial waters.”

Al-Jazeera Net

Marinakis told reporters that Israel did not conduct “any prior consultations with Greek authorities,” and that the fleet boats “did not report being in danger before the attack.”

Anadolu said Marinakis argued that Greece “does not have authority to intervene in international waters except in search and rescue cases,” and he added that maritime law assigns jurisdiction in international waters to the country “under whose flag the vessel sails.”

The Anadolu account described how the Greek Coast Guard’s Search and Rescue Coordination Center responded to a distress call received from one of the fleet’s ships about “60 miles west of Crete,” dispatching a patrol boat to the site.

It said via radio communications, the fleet captains told Greek authorities “that they were not in danger and did not want to be escorted,” which “prevented further actions by Athens.”

Anadolu also reported the scale of the operation, saying “about 55 fleet boats, along with four Israeli warships,” were on Wednesday evening in international waters about “50 nautical miles southwest of Cape Tenaro” heading south toward Crete.

The same report said the Greek government’s refusal to condemn drew criticism, including from former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, who accused the government of “collusion or inaction.”

The United States condemned an attempt by the “Global Resilience Fleet” to reach Gaza after Israel intercepted it, and it said US allies were expected to prevent the ships from sailing from their shores.

Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported that State Department spokesperson Tommy Bigot said, “In line with international law, ports are internal waters over which coastal states exercise full sovereignty.”

The same report quoted Bigot saying the United States “expects all of our allies to take decisive action against this futile political maneuver by preventing the ships taking part in the fleet from entering ports, docking there, departing from them, or refueling there.”

Bigot also said the United States would use “the tools available to hold those who provide support for this Hamas-backed fleet accountable for their actions,” and that it would “back the judicial actions our allies take against it.”

Al-Sharq Al-Awsat linked the fleet’s attempt to a broader effort to break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, describing the blockade as “destroyed by a war that lasted more than two years.”

The report said the war was sparked by Hamas’ “unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.”

It also said Spain condemned Israel’s interception of the fleet and “summoned the Israeli chargé d'affaires in Madrid.”

The US statement, as presented by Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, thus combined a legal argument about port sovereignty with a demand that allies block docking, departure, and refueling.

Al Jazeera said Israeli authorities were responsible for the safety of its crew accompanying the Fleet of Resilience, and it called for a unified international stance to stop repeated violations of international law.

Al-Jazeera Net reported that Israeli forces intercepted ships of the Fleet of Resilience in international waters, citing Anadolu, and that the interception led to “a loss of contact with Al Jazeera's team and the journalists who were on board the ships.”

Al-Yawm al-Sabi'

The network said, “Israeli authorities were fully responsible for the safety of the Al Jazeera crew,” and it called on the international community “to take a unified stance to stop Israel's repeated violations of international law and covenants.”

Al-Jazeera Net renewed its commitment to press freedom, stating “Al Jazeera renewed its commitment to press freedom, calling for the protection of all journalists and enabling them to carry out their work freely.”

The report framed the incident as part of Israel’s repeated actions, and it tied the safety demand directly to the interception of the fleet.

It also reiterated that the crew was accompanying the fleet and that the loss of contact occurred after the interception off the coast of the Greek island of Crete.

By emphasizing responsibility and press freedom, Al Jazeera positioned the safety of journalists as a central consequence of the maritime confrontation.

The report’s language also linked the crew’s situation to international legal obligations and “covenants,” as Al Jazeera characterized them.

Beyond the maritime confrontation, Al-Mصري اليوم placed the fleet’s mission within a wider humanitarian and health picture in Gaza, citing United Nations reporting and specific operational figures.

It said the United Nations expressed concern over reports from the occupied West Bank about an “18-hour operation in the Qalandia refugee camp and its surroundings in the Jerusalem Governorate,” including “wide-scale searches, arrests, and movement restrictions,” and it quoted UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric describing “injuries and property damage” and “temporary displacement of Palestinians.”

Anadolu Ajansı

The same report said the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) described the operation as part of a “recurring pattern” that has caused “displacement, damage to civilian property, and restricted access, especially in refugee camps,” and it said OCHA reiterated “the need to protect civilians and ensure access to medical services.”

Al-Mصري اليوم also reported on Gaza health logistics, saying the World Health Organization and its partners supported medical evacuations for “104 patients and more than 160 of their escorts through the Rafah crossing, from April 20 this year to last Sunday.”

It added that “since the ceasefire was announced in October last year,” humanitarian partners supported “92 health service centers,” but that “currently only 296 centers out of 683 are operating,” including “23 centers that provide their services fully.”

The report further described the ceasefire context, stating that a ceasefire was announced in October last year and that it followed “two years of genocidal war” that Israel began on October 8, 2023, with American support.

By pairing the fleet’s attempt to “break the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip” with UN figures on evacuations and health centers, Al-Mصري اليوم framed the stakes as both immediate access and ongoing capacity.

The article also tied the fleet’s departure timeline to humanitarian intent, stating that the “Spring 2026 Mission” sailed from the Italian island of Sicily after completing its final preparations.