Israeli navy intercepts boats attempting to break Gaza blockade and arrests activists

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JERUSALEM (AP) — Hundreds of Israeli police officers were deployed Thursday to the southern port of Ashdod to process some 450 international activists detained by Israeli naval forces hours earlier in the Mediterranean Sea, Israeli authorities said.

The activists, including European lawmakers, were taking part of a flotilla attempting to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza when their vessels were intercepted, drawing widespread condemnation and sparking protests around the world.

The Global Sumud Flotilla was the largest yet to try to break the blockade, and it comes at a time of growing criticism of Israel's conduct in Gaza, where its offensive has laid waste to wide swaths of territory and killed tens of thousands of people.

Activists had said they hoped that the sheer number of boats would make it more difficult for Israeli authorities to intercept them all — but Israel’s Foreign Ministry declared the operation over on Thursday afternoon.

Israeli police shared a video showing some 600 officers working on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, considered the holiest in the Jewish calendar, to register the detained activists ahead of their expected deportations.

Thousands of people supporting the flotilla took to the streets in several major cities after news of the interception broke to decry the Israeli operation and the ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip. Italy’s largest union called for a one-day general strike on Friday.

While the majority of marches were peaceful, clashes erupted between police and pro-Palestinian protestors in Paris and in Barcelona, Spain.

The flotilla, which started out with more than 40 boats and some 450 activists, was carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Its main goal, they said, remained "to break Israel’s illegal siege and end the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people."

Israel's Foreign Ministry dismissed it as a “provocation,” saying that various countries have offered to deliver the aid the boats were carrying. Israel has come under intense criticism for how much aid it lets into Gaza and how it distributes the goods. It has vehemently denied it is committing genocide.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commended his nation's navy and soldiers for stopping the flotilla on Yom Kippur, saying in a statement that “Their important action prevented dozens of vessels from entering the war zone and repelled a campaign of delegitimization against Israel."

Flotilla organizers said at least 41 of their boats were intercepted or assumed intercepted in the nightlong Israeli operation. Israeli authorities later said only one boat remained “at a distance” and would be intercepted if it approached.

The flotilla has streamed its voyage online via live cameras aboard different boats, though most connections were lost as Israeli authorities began boarding them in international waters on Wednesday evening.

The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, triggered this war. Militants killed some 1,200 people that day, while 251 others were abducted. Forty-eight hostages are still held in Gaza — around 20 believed to be alive.

Israel’s ensuing campaign has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its toll. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government and whose figures are viewed by experts as the most reliable estimate, has said women and children make up around half the dead.

Israel has maintained varying degrees of blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power in 2007, saying it is necessary to contain the militant group. Critics deride the policy as collective punishment.

After the war started, Israel tightened the blockade but eased up later under U.S. pressure. In March, it sealed the territory off from all food, medicine and other goods for 2 ½ months, contributing to Gaza’s slide into famine.

The flotilla said it wanted to establish a humanitarian corridor by sea, given the little aid that was reaching Gaza by land.

Israeli forces detained and removed dozens of people — including Greta Thunberg, former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau and European Parliament member Rima Hassan — from the flotilla.

Israel's Foreign Ministry posted photos and videos of some of the detainees saying in a statement that they were “safe and in good health” and would be transferred to Israel for deportation.

Earlier, live broadcasts from the activists showed Israeli boats approaching their vessels, spraying them with water canons and flashing bright lights before troops boarded the flotilla.

Anticipating the interceptions, activists wearing life jackets sat in circles and raised their hands in the air. Some managed to stream the moment live from their cellphones before tossing their devices into the sea.

Turkey, Colombia, Pakistan and others condemned Israel's interception of the flotilla.

Italy, France, Poland and other European nations, which had warned the activists not to continue the journey and avoid confrontation with Israel, said they were working with Israeli diplomatic authorities to ensure their citizens were transferred to land and deported home swiftly.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, one of Israel's staunchest allies, on Thursday slammed Italian unions for their decision to call a general strike on Friday in solidarity with the flotilla.

“I continue to believe that all this brings no benefit to the Palestinian people. On the other hand, I understand that it will bring a lot of problems to Italian citizens,” Meloni told reporters upon her arrival in Copenhagen for a summit.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry described the interceptions as an “act of terrorism” and a severe breach of international law in a statement late Wednesday.

The detention of activists was part of Israel’s “ongoing aggression,” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said, adding that Israel’s blockade of Gaza had caused “immense suffering” for more than 2 million Palestinians in the strip.

Israel has argued its actions constitute a lawful naval blockade needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics consider it collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza.

Whether the blockade is militarily justified is a point of contention. But the flotilla argues they are a civilian, unarmed group and that the passage of humanitarian aid is guaranteed under international law.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced late Wednesday that his government would expel Israel’s diplomatic delegation in the South American country and terminate a free trade agreement with Israel over the interception. Two Colombian citizens are taking part in the flotilla.

Petro has repeatedly described Israel’s siege of Gaza as an act of genocide, something Israel vehemently denies.

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Brito reported from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press journalists Giada Zampano in Rome; Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey; Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela, contributed to this report.