Gaza Freedom Flotilla vessels and convoys have attempted to break the blockade of Gaza since 2010. The first flotilla with six ships was launched by what would then become the Freedom Flotilla Coalition. It was subsequently raided by Israeli forces.
Since 2010, attempts from the Freedom Flotilla II in 2011, Freedom Flotilla III in 2015, Women's Boat to Gaza in 2016, Just Future for Palestine Flotilla in 2018, and flotillas in June and July 2025, have all been intercepted, raided or attacked by Israeli forces.
In August 2025, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition joined the Global Sumud Flotilla, and began launching a series of flotilla convoys towards Gaza.
Background
In 2008, the first ships to breach the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip were launched by the Free Gaza Movement. Founded during the 2006 Lebanon War, activists launched 31 boats from 2008 to 2016, with five that succeeded in reaching Gaza.
Timeline 2010
Raid
2011
2015
2016
2018 The Just Future for Palestine Flotilla, JFP Flotilla or 2018 Gaza Freedom Flotilla was another attempt to challenge the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. The flotilla consisted of two ships Al Awda (The Return) and Freedom and two yachts Mairead and Falestine. On 29 July and 3 August 2018, both Al Awda and Freedom were seized by the Israeli Navy. The activists were arrested and some reported they were tasered, and beaten. Most were deported to their home countries.
2024
Its departure was extensively delayed by diplomatic processes which resulted in withdrawal of flags of registration from the member ships of the flotilla, and pressure being put on Turkey to prevent their sailing.
Later in the year, the Anadolu was allowed to sail to Egypt to unload, but the cargo was prevented from reaching Gaza.
2025
May
June
July
August–early October
Late September–October
A new flotilla of 9 ships, organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens to Gaza, sailed towards Gaza during late September/early October 2025. The flotilla included about 150 participants altogether. One of the ships was the 68-metre-long Conscience, which was hit by drones in May 2025 near Malta while en route to Gaza carrying aid.Archived
Conscience left the port of Otranto on 30 September or 1 October, carrying about a hundred activists, including doctors, nurses, other health workers, journalists, lawyers, Turkish members of parliament, and a Buddhist monk. On 3 October, the nine ship flotilla was near the coast of Crete. On 7 October, Italian MP Marco Croatti, member of the Five Star Movement (MV5S) and participant of the Global Sumud Flotilla asked the Italian government to protect the Italian participants of the initiative. +VesselsBoatMMSIAbd Elkarim EidAlaa Al-NajjarAnas Al SharifConscience550071155Gaza SunbirdLeïla KhaledMiladSoul of My SoulUmm Saad
On 8 October 2025, the Israeli military attacked, intercepted and boarded all nine boats about 120 nautical miles from Gaza, in international waters, and detained the passengers. The boarding of one of the boats was live-streamed, showing the moment when a soldier damaged a camera by hitting it with a machine gun. This was the second interception of its kind within one week.
Response to the interception
: on Wednesday 8 October there have been protests in the cities of Naples, Bologna, Rome, Milan (At least 8,000 protesters), Turin, Salerno and other cities. : demonstrators rallied in Paris on Wednesday to demand the release of the activists detained by Israel.
2026
Planning In December 2025, the Global Sumud Flotilla announced their interest in organizing a new flotilla that would take place in the spring of 2026, this time with the aim to include at least 100 ships and 3,000 participants (1,000 of which to be medics that would later stay in the Gaza Strip) from 70 countries..
It was later announced that the first convoy was scheduled to depart from Barcelona on 29 March 2026 (with departures from Tunisia and Italy also confirmed).
April
During April, boats set out from Marseille and Naples, to join others from Barcelona and form a flotilla of 58 boats carrying humanitarian aid and aiming to break the blockade.
In the early hours of April 30, the IDF intercepted 22 boats of the convoy off Crete. 181 people were detained, including Pablo Giachello, an Argentine provincial deputy. The IDF stated it would transfer the activists to Greece; however two activists, Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila, were taken to Israel, where they were detained for an additional 10 days. Allegations subsequently emerged regarding the mistreatment of Saif Abu Keshek and Thiago Avila.
May Following this first interception, the remaining boats regrouped in Turkey, and 54 vessels sailed again for Gaza, this time from Marmaris, on 14 May. On 18 May, Israeli forces boarded vessels of the flotilla off Cyprus, some 250 nautical miles from Gaza. 430 participants were detained at Ashdod port.
Responses to the interceptions
After the first interception (off Crete) and with Spanish national Saif Abu Keshek detained in Israel, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the chargé d'affaires of the Israeli embassy in Madrid and strongly condemned the operation. Official sources indicated that around 30 Spanish nationals were among those detained, and the Spanish government stated that consular protection mechanisms had been activated.
Several governments and human rights organizations described the interception as violating international law. However, Israeli officials stated that the flotilla was attempting to break the maritime blockade of Gaza and was therefore operating illegally under Israeli interpretation of the blockade.
In May 2026, after Israeli forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla off Cyprus, Itamar Ben-Gvir released videos showing him taunting detained activists. The footage showed activists kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs, while Ben-Gvir called for them to be imprisoned for a long period. The foreign ministries of several countries, including France, Canada, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Germany, Poland, Qatar, Slovenia, Turkey, Austria, Belgium, Colombia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand condemned the treatment of the detained activists.
Later that month, France banned Ben-Gvir from entering the country, with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot citing Ben-Gvir's "reprehensible actions towards French and European citizens" who were passengers on the Global Sumud Flotilla. Poland also imposed a five-year entry ban on Ben-Gvir over his treatment of detained activists. Ireland prohibited Itamar Ben Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country, citing behavior against 2026 Global Sumud Flotilla activists and anti-Palestinian statements.
On 21 May, Israel deported all 420 activists to Istanbul, Turkey. Following their release, multiple activists alleged they were subjected to systematic physical, psychological, and sexual abuse while in Israeli custody. Human rights organization Adalah and flotilla organizers documented at least 15 cases of sexual violence, detailing incidents of forced strip searches, sexual taunting, groping, and multiple accounts of rape, including forcible penetration with a handgun. Activists from approximately 40 countries reported that the most severe abuse occurred inside darkened shipping containers on an Israeli landing craft converted into a makeshift prison ship, where they were denied water and blankets. Volunteers detailed being beaten, repeatedly tasered, and subjected to sleep deprivation and prolonged stress positions, resulting in severe injuries such as broken bones and fractured vertebrae.
Israeli authorities denied the claims, with the Israel Prison Service and the IDF stating that all detainees were treated legally and respectfully, while dismissing the flotilla as a propaganda stunt for Hamas. The allegations provoked widespread international condemnation, which was exacerbated when Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted a video of himself taunting bound, kneeling detainees, prompting a rare public reprimand from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The United Nations expressed deep concern, and several nations launched legal or diplomatic responses. France instituted an entry ban on Ben-Gvir and referred the abuse of French nationals to its public prosecutor, while Italy, Spain, and Turkey initiated criminal investigations into kidnapping, torture, and sexual assault. Canada and Germany condemned the mistreatment of their nationals, with German officials demanding a full explanation for the serious accusations. The United States joined in the criticism, with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee stating that Ben-Gvir had "betrayed the dignity" of his nation. Malaysia announced plans to initiate formal proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice over the abduction and alleged torture of its citizens.
On 21 August, Turkey's Minister of Justice, Akın Gürlek, announced that the country was seeking Interpol for an international arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the interception of flotilla activists and accusing him of genocide. The ministry also sought the arrest of an IDF soldier named Afek Moskovitch. According to İhlas News Agency, Moskovitch was accused of destroying buildings at the Islamic University of Gaza, including a hospital and medical facility. The ministry also stated that both of them are being prosecuted for "crimes against humanity, genocide, aggravated deprivation of liberty, 'intentional assault and battery,' torture, destruction of property, aggravated looting, and hijacking of transport vehicles."
See also Gaza journey of MV Rachel Corrie Ship to Gaza (Sweden), Swedish organization co-founder of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition Jewish Boat to Gaza (2010) Road to Hope (2010)
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