In the past 48 hours, Israel has illegally intercepted all 50 boats that left Türkiye last week in the final leg of the Global Sumud Flotillas ' journey in an attempt to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. They have kidnapped 400 people, forcibly transferring them from their small sailing boats and onto an Israeli Naval Vessel.
Over the course of the last 12 hours, they have been transferred to Ketziot Prison, where videos of violence are already surfacing. At least 87 of the Gaza-bound flotilla activists detained by Israel have now launched a hunger strike in protest of their abduction and detention conditions, as Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir circulated footage of himself taunting restrained detainees held on the ground after the flotilla’s interception in international waters.
It is unclear how long the activists will be held under such conditions, while several countries, including Turkiye, Spain, Jordan, Pakistan, Brazil and Indonesia, have condemned the interceptions as violations of international law.
Although all boats have now been intercepted, narrating these interceptions as an instant game over for the flotilla would not be the full story. For a brief period on the morning of 19 May, there was still hope. Ten out of 50 boats from the fleet managed to escape the melee of Israel's initial acts of piracy. For a fleeting few hours, breaking the siege seemed possible. Whilst around 300-400 activists had been kidnapped and taken to an Israeli naval vessel, 70-100 were free on the Mediterranean water. The remaining activists reported moments of peace, relief, and a great deal of hope as they continued to sail just 80 nautical miles from Gaza's shoreline — the closest any boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla have ever reached Gaza, before they too were intercepted and arrested. High spirits before the raid The New Arab managed to speak to some of the activists who remained in the final ten boats, whilst they were freshly out of escaping Israeli occupation forces (IOF), and steaming optimistically towards Gaza. Alonso, a Spanish Palestinian who was on the boat Sirius, told The New Arab , "Our spirits are high, motivation is very high." He continued, "We are carrying humanitarian aid, and looking forward to meeting everyone in Palestine. And that is the main motivation of this journey.
"Last night, many of our fleet were intercepted again. We were able to manoeuvre away from Israel. Israel's navy, Israel's military commandos, took over many of our comrades' boats and kidnapped them in international waters once again. We are now moving south, almost 80 nautical miles before Gaza."
At the time of the interview, it was unclear whether Israel was continuing with interceptions and planning to capture those on the ten remaining boats. A crackling sound filled the interview audio, but Alonso sounded optimistic: "As you can hear, there are some interferences with our radio. We feel unstoppable, we are almost there, we are almost in Gaza. Ten boats, ten boats will arrive in Gaza, free Palestine, and thank you for everyone's support along the way." The New Arab managed to make contact with a number of the boats that were still free and to hear testimonies from multiple activists about escaping interception. Cassio from Brazil, sailing on the boat Cabo Blanco , told The New Arab , "We are still sailing to Gaza. With every mile we sail, we have more hope to complete our mission to deliver besieged people suffering the consequences of genocide and the inaction of our governments."
Despite feelings of optimism about the delivery of aid, concerns for the well-being of those who had been captured still lingered at the forefront of people's minds. Cassio continued, "Yesterday was a very hard day for the flotilla… people carrying aid, hope and solidarity are facing brutal forces and soldiers with live ammunition. We don't know why they're still letting 10 boats sail to Gaza.
"We think a lot about our comrades and what is happening to them, where they are being taken. We know what happens to the Palestinian people there… we look up to those people who face genocide for so many decades, and still fight for freedom." A brief window of escape Although all activists have now been kidnapped, it is still unclear why Israel left such a large time gap for capturing the final ten boats, allowing them to escape the first wave. Hiatham, a Palestinian American on the boat Don Juan, describes his own escape from the first interception.
"The IOF approached us with two ribs. We saw them coming close, and we decided to just sail the other way. We went against the waves. We increased the engine speed to maximum and just kept sailing. After a few minutes of chasing us, they gave up and went back to another boat."
Hiatham joked about the juxtaposition of feeling safe after having escaped. "As of now, thank god we are safe. But I wouldn't say safe, because the Israelis have proved they can commit violence wherever they want, with impunity… I am disgusted."
His commitment to the cause remained steadfast, and although he suspected he would soon be captured, he insisted that the fight for a free Palestine was not over. "I'll be happy if I make it to Gaza. To see the people of Gaza. We will do our best, even if they stop us. We will continue to send, wave after wave, flotilla after flotilla, until Palestine is free."
Shortly after the interviews, reports of the second wave of interceptions started to come through. It started at around 5 pm local time on 19 May, and by midnight, the final boat had been seized. Activists – who had live-stream cameras on their boats during these interceptions – reported being shot at by Israeli forces before they boarded their boats.
One activist said, "It's unclear whether they have rubber bullets or live ammunition. Not that rubber bullets cannot be lethal."
It is believed all activists have now been transferred to Ketziot prison in the Negev desert of Southern Israel, and it is not clear how long they will be held there. Alice Chapman is a freelance journalist from the UK who focuses on the ground and human stories. She aims to bridge the gap between politics and humanity, reporting on the voices of those most affected by political conflict. Alice was also one of the flotilla activists detained by Israeli forces Follow her on Instagram: @itsalicechapman