(MENAFN) The Israeli navy intercepted an international aid flotilla headed to Gaza in the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. This marks the second recent civilian effort to breach Israel’s naval blockade on Gaza, following last week’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), which included over 470 volunteers from more than 40 countries.

Israeli media reported that the navy seized eight small yachts and a 68-meter cruise ship carrying approximately 100 activists affiliated with the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) in under 40 minutes Wednesday morning. Both the vessels and their passengers were transferred to the Port of Ashdod in southern Israel.

The Foreign Ministry confirmed that all individuals on board are “safe and in good health” and are expected to be deported without delay.

The flotilla organizers said the group included doctors, journalists, and activists. They condemned the interception, asserting in a statement that “Israel has no legal authority to detain international volunteers aboard these ships,” and accused Israel of a “blatant” violation of international law that “defies the International Court of Justice’s binding orders requiring unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.”

Israel has enforced a naval blockade on Gaza since 2007, after Hamas took control of the territory. The restrictions were intensified following Hamas’s cross-border attack into southern Israel in October 2023.

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