Israel intercepts aid flotilla but one ship reported to have...

Israel has said it has stopped a pro-Palestinian flotilla carrying aid from reaching Gaza, after its navy intercepted most of the vessels.

However, one boat, the Mikeno, was reported to have escaped the maritime blockade and to have stopped inside Palestinian territorial waters near Gaza’s coast before contact with the vessel was lost.

It was the first time since Israel imposed a naval blockade on Gaza’s waters in 2009 that an unauthorised humanitarian mission has reached closer than 70 nautical miles from the territory.

The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed that ‘‘one last boat of the provocation remains in the distance.’’

‘‘If it approaches,” it added, “its attempt to enter an active combat zone and break the blockade will also be prevented.”

Vessels from the Global Sumud flotilla, which consisted of more than 40 civilian boats carrying about 500 parliamentarians, lawyers and activists including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, were boarded late on Wednesday by Israeli forces roughly 75 miles off the coast of Gaza.

A video from the Israeli foreign ministry showed Thunberg sitting on a deck surrounded by soldiers on the flotilla’s lead vessel, the Alma.

In a video message posted on Instagram shortly before the interception, Thunberg said: “My name is Greta Thunberg. I am onboard the ship Alma. We are about to be intercepted by Israel.”

Thunberg and other activists were arrested and taken into custody at the Israeli port of Ashdod.

The Israeli foreign ministry said it would deport all activists on the flotilla.

The flotilla put out several videos on Telegram with messages from individuals on board the various boats, some holding their passports stating that they had been abducted and taken to Israel against their will, and reiterating that their mission was a non-violent humanitarian cause.

The vessels were sailing in international waters north of Egypt on Wednesday afternoon when the interceptions began and had entered what has been described as a “high risk zone”.

While still in international waters, it is an area where the Israeli navy has stopped other boats attempting to break its blockade in the past and which the flotilla had been warned not to cross.

About 7.25pm, roughly 20 Israeli naval ships approached the flotilla and ordered the boats to turn off their engines, activists said on social media. Live footage from the flotilla showed passengers seated in a semi-circle, wearing lifejackets as they awaited interception. The broadcast cut off shortly afterwards.

“Our vessels are being illegally intercepted,” a message on the flotilla’s Instagram page read on Wednesday evening. “Cameras are offline and vessels have been boarded by military personnel. We are actively working to confirm the safety and status of all participants onboard.”

Footage broadcast by Sky Italia showed activists on deck being hit by powerful jets of water. Those onboard said they also heard loud bangs near several of the boats, believed to be stun grenades dropped from drones.

Those arrested include nine Irish citizens, including Sinn Féin senator Chris Andrews, at least two Italian MPs, and French MEP Emma Fourreau.

Spontaneous protests broke out across Italy in response to the raid. Protests were also reported in Brussel, Athens, Buenos Aires and Berlin, while the Spanish government called on Israel to protect the safety and rights of activists.

Spain’s labour minister and deputy prime minister, Yolanda Díaz, described the attack on the flotilla as “a crime against international law” and demanded that Israel immediately release those it had detained. Writing on Bluesky, she added: “The EU needs to break off relations with Israel right now.”

Spain’s foreign ministry issued a statement late on Wednesday night, pointing out that the flotilla was a “a peaceful and humanitarian civil society initiative” and calling for the “physical integrity and rights” of the Spanish citizens on board the flotilla to be respected. The statement concluded: “Spain will continue to demand an end to the war in Gaza, the massive entry of humanitarian aid, the release of all Israeli hostages, and the implementation of the two-state solution: Palestine and Israel, living side by side in peace and security.”

The British government was “very concerned” about Israel’s interception of an international aid flotilla bound for Gaza, the Foreign Office said on Thursday, adding that it had made clear to Israel that the situation should be resolved safely.

“We are very concerned about the situation with the Sumud flotilla, we are in touch with the families of a number of British nationals involved,” the British Foreign Office said in a statement. “The aid carried by the flotilla should be turned over to humanitarian organisations on the ground to be delivered safely into Gaza.”

Turkey’s foreign ministry said the Israeli “attack” on the flotilla was “an act of terror” that endangered the lives of innocent civilians.

The naval blockade was imposed in 2009 by Israel, an intensification of its 2007 blockade of Gaza in response to Hamas seizing control of the territory. It has been condemned on numerous occasions by the UN, which has called it “a direct contravention of international human rights and humanitarian law”.

Yuval Shany, an expert on international law at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said that as long as Israel’s blockade of Gaza was “militarily justified” – meant to keep out weapons – and a ship intended to break the siege, Israel could intercept the vessel after prior warning.

Whether the blockade is militarily justified, and its legality, are points of contention.

The flotilla argues it is a civilian, unarmed group and that the passage of humanitarian aid is guaranteed in international law. Previous attempts by activists to break the naval blockade on Gaza were stopped by force by the Israeli military.

In 2010, 10 Turkish activists were killed by Israeli commandos who raided the Mavi Marmara ship as it led an aid flotilla towards Gaza.