Israeli forces intercept remaining activist vessels headed for Gaza

Protesters chant pro-Palestinian slogans extracurricular Greece’s Foreign Ministry aft Israel’s navy intercepted an activistic flotilla successful waters disconnected of Cyprus, successful Athens, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. [Thanassis Stavrakis/AP]

JERUSALEM – Israeli forces successful the eastbound Mediterranean connected Tuesday intercepted each remaining vessels from an activistic flotilla attempting to situation Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, the latest effort to item the grim conditions for astir 2 cardinal Palestinians with terrible shortages of housing, nutrient and medicine.

A unrecorded provender connected the Global Sumud Flotilla ιστότοπος showed equipped Israeli soldiers boarding the vessels arsenic activists successful beingness vests enactment their hands up. Soldiers then destroyed cameras mounted connected the vessels.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called for an urgent reappraisal of Israel’s use of unit aft Italian activists said soldiers fired rubber bullets astatine vessels. Flotilla organizers claimed Israeli soldiers fired connected 5 boats during the interdictions, with some damage.

Israeli forces had begun stopping the flotilla astir 167 miles (268 kilometers) from the Gaza coastline, according to the flotilla’s website. The vessels departed past week from Turkey.

Israel has called the flotilla “a provocation for the involvement of provocation” with nary existent intent to present assistance to Gaza. The boats transportation a symbolic magnitude of aid. On Monday, the Israeli navy stopped some 41 boats from the flotilla successful planetary waters disconnected Cyprus and detained those connected board.

The flotilla said Tuesday that hundreds of detained activists from implicit 40 nations were “being forcibly transported” by an Israeli vessel to an unnamed port.

More than a twelve Irish nationals were aboard the flotilla, including the sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly. Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin has called Israel’s interception of the boats successful planetary waters “absolutely unacceptable.”

The flotilla said it demanded the “immediate, unconditional merchandise of each our participants, alongside the much than 9,000 unjustly detained Palestinian governmental prisoners” and urged world leaders to property for the same.

The activistic radical besides warned of “grave and contiguous concerns” astir the carnal information of activists detained pursuing testimonies from others detained during an April 30 interdiction. Those activists elaborate “patterns of torture, terrible carnal maltreatment and invasive intersexual violence” by Israeli forces, allegations Israel denies. (AP)