The “Global Sumud Flotilla” is stopped at sea.Image: keystone
May 19, 2026, 10:44May 19, 2026, 10:44
The Israeli army has stopped most of the boats in the international Gaza aid fleet. The navy continued to act against the “Global Sumud Flotilla” overnight and took control of more than half of a total of 57 boats, Israeli radio reported. Around 250 activists have so far been arrested in the operation west of Cyprus.
The sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly, Margaret Connolly, is said to be among those arrested, as several media outlets reported, citing the organizers. “It is very worrying and I am very worried about her and also about her colleagues on board,” President Connolly told journalists in London on Monday, according to the broadcaster RTÉ, among others.
Israeli forces have intercepted multiple vessels from the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters, under the watch of Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
At least 100 activists have reportedly been arrested, in what has been condemned as ‘piracy.’ pic.twitter.com/UpjxM8fH27
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 18, 2026
The organizers of the protest spoke of a “kidnapping” of the activists and said that ten boats were still on the way to the Gaza Strip. More than 40 others have been stopped since Monday. The Israeli army’s deployment 250 nautical miles from Gaza against the aid fleet was “another illegal aggression on the high seas,” said a statement on the organization’s website. The goal of the “Gaza Sumud Flotilla” was “to establish a humanitarian corridor and break Israel’s illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip.”
Israel: No relief supplies found on boats so far
The Israeli Foreign Ministry, however, spoke of a provocation and said that no humanitarian aid supplies had been found on the boats.
The Israeli news portal “ynet” reported that after their arrest, the activists were to be taken to a navy ship on which there was a “floating prison”. From there they were to be taken to the Israeli port city of Ashdod. In the past, international activists were always deported back to their home countries after a while.
The foreign ministers of Jordan, Indonesia, Spain, Pakistan, Brazil, Turkey, Bangladesh, Colombia, Libya and the Maldives condemned in a joint statement “renewed Israeli attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla, a peaceful civilian humanitarian initiative aimed at drawing international attention to the catastrophic humanitarian suffering of the Palestinian people.” (sda/dpa)